Latest news and press releases

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report, which assesses the current Credit Risk Mitigation (CRM) framework, as part of its work on the review of the IRB approach. This Report is part of the 4th and last phase of the EBA’s roadmap on the IRB approach, which also includes a review of supervisory practices, a harmonised definition of default and clarifications on modelling approaches to be used by institutions.

The European Banking Authority published today its Report on the functioning of supervisory colleges in 2017, which summarises the EBA’s assessment of the colleges’ activities against the EBA 2017 Colleges Action Plan and the relevant regulation. The Report concludes that significant improvements have been achieved over the last couple of years in college interactions, responsiveness, and in the quality, coverage and reasoning of the joint decision documents. Further efforts are, however, expected both from home and host supervisors to enhance the joint decision process and ensure the completeness of the SREP assessments.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) published today its final report on Big Data analysing its impact on consumers and financial firms. Overall, the ESAs have found that while the development of Big Data poses some potential risks to financial services consumers, the benefits of this innovation currently outweigh these. Many of the risks identified by the ESAs are mitigated by existing legislation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a FinTech Roadmap setting out its priorities for 2018/2019. The Roadmap also sets out the establishment of a FinTech Knowledge Hub to enhance knowledge sharing and foster technological neutrality in regulatory and supervisory approaches.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion following the notification by the French High Council for Financial Stability (HCSF) of its intention to tighten the large-exposure limits applicable to large and highly indebted non-financial corporations (NFCs) resident in France or groups of connected NFCs assessed to be highly indebted and based in France. Based on the evidence submitted, the EBA does not object to the adoption of the proposed measure, which the HCSF intends to apply only to global or other systemically important institutions (G-SIIs and O-SIIs) with the aim of accounting for changes in the intensity of macroprudential/systemic risk that could pose a threat to financial stability in France.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its advice on the Commission’s proposal for statutory prudential backstops on banks’ provisioning practices for new loans that turn non-performing. The EBA notes that the backstop complements the existing prudential set of measures and the new accounting provisions under IFRS9 and the advice aims at providing some qualitative considerations as well as a conservative impact analysis of the proposed measures.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a call for expression of interest for membership to its Banking Stakeholder Group (BSG), as the mandate for the majority of its members will expire on 14 October 2018. The call for expression of interest is open to candidates representing stakeholders across the European Union. The deadline for application is 7 June 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be formally validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) released today a video to help all interested stakeholders get familiar with the key features of the two sets of EBA templates on non-performing loans (NPLs) published on 14 December 2017. The EBA designed the templates to help restart the secondary markets for NPLs in Europe, thus contributing to the European Council’s action plan to tackle NPLs in Europe, released in July 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its Guidelines for credit institutions on how to effectively manage non-performing exposures (NPEs) and forborne exposures (FBEs). The Guidelines target high NPE banks with the aim of achieving a sustainable reduction of NPEs to strengthen the resilience of their balance sheets and support lending into the real economy. The Guidelines are designed to ensure that consumers, who have taken out loans, are treated fairly at every stage of the loan life cycle. The consultation runs until 8 June 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its thirteenth Report of the CRDIV-CRR/Basel III monitoring exercise on the European banking system. This exercise presents aggregate data on EU banks' capital, leverage, and liquidity ratios assuming full implementation of the CRD IV-CRR/Basel III framework. Overall, the results, based on data as of 30 June 2017, show a further improvement of European banks' capital positions, with a total average Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio of 13.8% (13.4% as of 31 December 2016). This exercise does not reflect any BCBS standards agreed since the beginning of 2016 or any other measures currently being considered by the BCBS.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a new web page including the tools to access its data point model (DPM), which compiles the harmonised data requirements included in its technical standards and guidelines. The role of this data dictionary is to enable the harmonisation of the banking regulatory framework by providing a clear interpretation of data exchange requirements to all relevant stakeholders. Regulators, supervisors, financial institutions, service providers, other organisations, and the general public, can use the DPM as a common repository of clear and structured specifications of the data referred to in the banking Regulation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its first Report on financial education, covering the years 2017/18. The Report is based on a repository of more than 80 financial education initiatives carried out by the national authorities supervising banking products and services across the 28 EU Member States. The Report provides an opportunity for national authorities to share and compare experiences, and for other organisations and individuals interested in financial education to learn about, and possibly build on, the work carried out so far in this area and the lessons learned.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion following the notification by the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) of its intention to modify capital requirements in order to address an increase in macroprudential risk. Based on the evidence submitted by the NBB, the EBA does not object to the adoption of the proposed measure, which is based on Article 458 (2) of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). This new measure aims at enhancing the resilience of Belgian banks to potential severe downward corrections in residential real estate markets.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a corrective update (version 2.6.0.1) to the XBRL taxonomy that Competent Authorities shall use for the remittance of data under the Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on benchmarking of internal approaches, for the 2018 benchmarking exercise.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) for securities (ESMA), banking (EBA), and insurance and pensions (EIOPA) have today issued a pan-EU warning to consumers regarding the risks of buying Virtual Currencies (VCs). The ESAs warn consumers that VCs are highly risky and unregulated products and are unsuitable as investment, savings or retirement planning products.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated methodological guide on how to compile risk indicators and detailed risk analysis tools. This guidance, which is mainly for internal use, will also benefit competent authorities and other relevant stakeholders as it will allow them to follow a consistent approach in their risk assessments.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today its 2018 EU-wide stress test and released the macroeconomic scenarios. The adverse scenario implies a deviation of EU GDP from its baseline level by 8.3% in 2020, resulting in the most severe scenario to date. The EBA expects to publish the results of the exercise by 2 November 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) will formally launch the 2018 EU-wide stress test on 31 January 2018 at 5pm UK time. Along with the announcement, the EBA will publish the common macroeconomic scenarios for this exercise.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated list of credit institutions exempted from or subject to a higher cap on inflows in the calculation of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) in accordance with the provisions laid down in the LCR Delegated Act. Three new institutions have been added to the previous list published in May 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report on the implementation of its Guidelines on methods for calculating contributions to deposit guarantee schemes (DGSs). The Report, which assesses authorities' compliance with the principles outlined in the EBA Guidelines, concludes that further analysis and greater experience of the risk-based systems in use is needed before proposing any changes to the current Guidelines.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its regular Risk Dashboard. Using quantitative risk indicators, along with the opinions of banks and market analysts from its Risk Assessment Questionnaire, the EBA’s dashboard identified ongoing improvements in the repair of the EU banking sector but also residual risks in NPLs and profitability.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on disclosure requirements of IFRS 9 or analogous expected credit losses (ECLs) transitional arrangements. The guidelines specify a uniform disclosure template institutions shall use when disclosing the information on own funds, capital and leverage ratios, with and without the application of transitional arrangements for IFRS 9 or ECLs. The aim of these Guidelines is to ensure consistency and comparability of the data disclosed by institutions during the transition to the full implementation of the new accounting standard and to foster market discipline.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today its advice to the European Commission on the appropriateness of continuing to apply the 180 day past due (DPD) exemption for material exposures. Based on an analysis of data submitted by the institutions still using the 180 DPD criterion, the EBA recommends that this exemption be disallowed and all institutions should consequently rely on the 90 DPD regime for all exposures.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today its final guidance for the use of cloud service providers by financial institutions. The EBA Recommendations clarify the EU-wide supervisory expectations if institutions intend to adopt cloud computing, so as to allow them to leverage the benefits of using cloud services, while ensuring that any related risks are adequately identified and managed.

Following up on the cumulative assessment published on 7 December 2017, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its full assessment quantifying the impact of the reform package recently agreed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) on the European banking system.

The EBA published today an updated quantitative analysis on the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL). Based on the same methodology and assumptions developed in the context of the MREL report published in December 2016, the EBA updated its estimates of capacity and funding needs of a representative sample of European banks to meet MREL under alternative scenarios. In this exercise, the EBA highlighted a modest improvement in the stack of MREL eligible instruments in 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to competent authorities on the transition from the existing Payment Services Directive (PSD1) to the revised Directive (PSD2), which will apply from 13 January 2018. In its Opinion, the EBA clarifies a number of issues identified by market participants and competent authorities, including with regard to the transitional period foreseen under PSD2.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report on the application of simplified obligations and waivers in recovery and resolution planning and its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the eligibility criteria to determine whether institutions could be subject to simplified obligations when drafting such plans. The Report shows that across the EU, significantly divergent practices apply. Differences have been identified both in the assessment of institutions’ eligibility for simplified obligations, as well as in determining the reduced scope of the recovery and resolution planning requirements laid down in the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). The RTS should help reduce some of the observed divergent practices by increasing harmonisation in simplified obligations eligibility assessment methodologies applied by national authorities.

The European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA, ESMA - ESAs) published today their jointly developed draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) amending the framework of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) with regard to physically settled foreign exchange (FX) forwards. These amendments aim at aligning the treatment of variation margin for physically-settled FX forwards with the supervisory guidance applicable in other key jurisdictions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Discussion Paper on the implementation in the European Union (EU) of the revised market risk and counterparty credit risk frameworks, i.e. the Fundamental Review of the Trading Book (FRTB) and the Standardised Approach for Counterparty Credit Risk (SA-CCR). This paper discusses some of the most important technical and operational challenges to implement the FRTB and SA-CCR in the EU. The paper aims at providing some preliminary views on how these implementation issues could be addressed and, at the same time, seeks early feedback from the stakeholders on the proposals. The paper also puts forward a roadmap for the development of the regulatory deliverables on the FRTB and SA-CCR included in the CRR2 proposal. The consultation runs until 15 March 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation to amend the Commission Implementing Regulation on benchmarking of internal models to adjust the benchmarking portfolios and reporting requirements in view of the benchmarking exercise the EBA will carry out in 2019. The proposed changes reduce uncertainties in the credit risk portfolios, thus aiming at fostering a common and coherent interpretation and implementation of the reporting requirements across EU institutions. The consultation will run until 31 January 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its fourth impact assessment Report for the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR), which shows that EU banks have continued to improve their LCR since 2011. At the reporting date of 31 December 2016, EU banks’ average LCR was significantly above the 100% minimum requirement, which will have to be fully implemented by 1 January 2018. In addition, a more in-depth analysis suggests that the LCR regulation, together with capital standards and stable funding, have helped banks increase their lending to real economy. The Report is based on liquidity data and wider bank balance sheet statistics from 157 EU banks across 16 Member States.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the requirements for originators, sponsors and original lenders related to risk retention as laid down in the new EU securitisation framework (STS Regulation). The RTS aim to provide clarity on the requirements relating to risk retention, thus reducing the risk of moral hazard and aligning interests. The consultation runs until 15 March 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying a set of criteria for the underlying exposures in securitisation to be deemed homogeneous, as part of the requirements under the new EU securitisation framework. The homogeneity requirement aims to facilitate the assessment of underlying risks by investors and to enable them to perform robust due diligence. Its application is, therefore, one of prerequisites for a more risk sensitive regulatory treatment of the securitisation. The RTS are applicable to both asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) and non-ABCP securitisations. The consultation runs until 15 March 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an update to its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on benchmarking of internal approaches, which define the benchmarking portfolios for the 2018 benchmarking exercise.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today data templates that will create the foundation for NPL transactions across the EU. The templates will provide a common EU data set for the screening, financial due diligence and valuation during NPL transactions. An extended use of the templates is expected to widen the investor base, lower entry barriers to potential investors, improve data quality and availability, support price discovery and facilitate the development of the NPL secondary market.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion following the notification by the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) of its intention to apply stricter liquidity requirements in order to address an increase in macroprudential risk, based on Article 458 of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) and implementing technical standards (ITS) on the EBA electronic central register under the Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The RTS specify the procedures competent authorities (CAs) should follow when providing information to the EBA and those that apply to the EBA when processing and publishing that information. The ITS specify the information that will be made available on the EBA Register. The aim of the EBA Register is to provide transparency on the operation of payment and e-money institutions across the EU, enhance cooperation between competent authorities in the Member States and ensure a high level of consumer protection.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on security measures for operational and security risks of payments services under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). These Guidelines, which the EBA developed in close cooperation with the European Central Bank (ECB), are in support of the objective of PSD2 of contributing to an integrated payments market across the European Union, promoting equal conditions for competition, and mitigating the increased security risks arising from electronic payments. This, in turn, minimises disruption to users, payment service providers and payment systems.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on Central Contact Points under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The RTS specify the criteria for determining when the appointment of a central contact point in a host Member State (MS) is appropriate and the functions that these contact points should fulfill. These RTS are in support of the objective of PSD2 of facilitating the supervision by competent authorities (CAs) of the networks of agents used by payment institutions (PIs) and electronic money institutions (EMIs) for providing cross-border payment services under the right of establishment.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be formally validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) welcomes the agreement reached on the finalisation of the Basel III framework by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), which concludes the global post-crisis prudential reforms. ‘Strong international standards are an essential common yardstick that will support a safe and sound cross-border banking on a global scale’ Andrea Enria, Chairperson of the EBA, said in welcoming the Basel agreement. ‘The EBA is committed to engaging with Competent Authorities and European co-legislators to ensure a successful implementation of the standards in the EU’ Enria added. The EBA published today a summary of the results showing the impact of the agreed reforms on the EU banking sector.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) published today two amended Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the mapping of credit assessments of External Credit Assessment Institutions (ECAIs) for credit risk. The amendments reflect the recognition of five new credit rating agencies (CRAs) and the deregistration of one CRA. The ITS are part of the EU Single Rulebook for banking and insurance aimed at creating a safe and sound regulatory framework consistently applicable across the European Union (EU).

The Breach of Union Law Panel of the European Banking Authority (EBA) decided to close the breach of Union Law investigation (BUL) on Dutch supervisory regime governing proprietary traders it had opened against the Dutch Central Bank (DNB). The BUL panel’s conclusion followed the decision taken by the DNB on 13 November 2017 to redress the breach of Union law by terminating the current national prudential framework for traders for own account. The DNB will notify the EBA on capital conservation plans adopted by the firms concerned and the EBA will monitor the application of these transitional measures.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) published today its draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) specifying how credit and financial institutions should manage money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) risks at group level where they have branches or majority-owned subsidiaries based in third countries whose laws do not permit the application of group-wide policies and procedures on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).‎ These RTS are part of the ESAs' wider work on fostering a common approach to AML/CFT and will contribute to creating a level playing field across the European Union's financial sector.

On 10 February 2016, the European Commission adopted Regulation (EU) 2016/322 (Implementing technical standard – ITS – on reporting on Liquidity Coverage Ratio – LCR), which has become applicable as of September 2016 and adapted to the Commission LCR Delegated Regulation. As a result, the EBA decided to formally repeal its Guidelines setting out the criteria for identifying retail deposits subject to different outflows for the purpose of liquidity reporting, issued in December 2013, as they have been superseded by the LCR Delegated Regulation and are no longer applicable for liquidity reporting purposes.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its tenth report on risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector. The report is accompanied by the 2017 EU-wide transparency exercise, which provides key data in a comparable and accessible format for 132 banks across the EU. The data shows further resilience in the EU banking sector amid a benign macroeconomic and financial environment, with an additional strengthening of the capital position, an improvement of asset quality and a slight increase of profitability. However, further progress on NPLs is needed whilst the long-term sustainability of prevailing business models remains a challenge. The importance of robust data management and IT and operational resilience is also a priority.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its third annual Report on the convergence of supervisory practices across the EU. The Report reviews consistency in the application of the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP) in order to promote comparable supervisory approaches and consistency in supervisory outcomes across the single market. This is necessary for a level playing field, effective supervision of cross border groups, and to identify supervisory best practices.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) welcomes the Council’s decision on its relocation to Paris, in light of the UK’s intention to withdraw from the EU. This is an important decision for the Authority that guarantees a seamless continuation of its activities by reassuring its current and future staff over the new location and putting an end to a period of uncertainty. The EBA is confident that France will support the Authority to ensure a smooth transition, which is crucial to continue delivering on its mission objectives of maintaining financial stability in the EU and safeguarding the integrity, efficiency and orderly functioning of the banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on the estimation of risk parameters for non-defaulted exposures - namely of the probability of default (PD) and the loss given default (LGD), and on the treatment of defaulted exposures under the advanced IRB Approach, including estimation of parameters such as ELBE and LGD in-default. These Guidelines, which are part of the EBA’s regulatory review of the IRB approach, aim to restore market participants’ trust in internal models by reducing the unjustified variability in their outcomes, ensuring comparability of risk estimates while at the same time preserving risk sensitivity of capital requirements.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today its final methodology for the 2018 EU-wide stress test, following a discussion with industry in summer 2017. The methodology covers all relevant risk areas and, for the first time, incorporates IFRS 9 accounting standards. The stress test exercise will be formally launched in January 2018 and the results to be published by 2 November 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its sixth updated list of capital instruments that Competent Authorities (CAs) across the European Union (EU) have classified as Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1). Since the publication of the previous update in May 2017, some new CET1 instruments have been assessed and evaluated as compliant with the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). The list will be maintained and updated on a regular basis.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) acknowledged the adoption by the European Commission of the Implementing Act amending Regulation (EU) No 680/2014 (Implementing Technical Standards on Supervisory Reporting) with regard to amendments to COREP and Additional Monitoring Metrics for liquidity as well as other amendments. The Implementing Act, which is based on the final draft ITS on supervisory reporting submitted by the EBA in April 2017, was adopted by the Commission on 9 November 2017. Its publication in the EU Official Journal is still pending. The amended requirements will apply as of 1 March 2018 (reporting framework v2.7).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a corrective update (2.7.0.1) to the XBRL taxonomy that Competent Authorities shall use for the remittance of data under the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The revised taxonomy will be used for the first report of Financial Reporting (FinRep) requirements compiled under IFRS 9.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report on the peer review carried out to evaluate the implementation of its Guidelines on the criteria for the assessment and identification of other systemically important institutions (O-SIIs) across the EU. Overall, the peer review concluded that the majority of the authorities are compliant with the EBA Guidelines, although some of its requirements have not been fully applied in all jurisdictions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today two reports on the consistency of risk weighted assets (RWAs) across all EU institutions authorised to use internal approaches for the calculation of capital requirements. The reports cover credit risk for large corporate, institutions, and sovereign portfolios (collectively referred to as "low default portfolios" - LDP), as well as market risk. The results confirm previous findings, with the majority of risk-weights (RWs) variability explained by fundamentals. These benchmarking exercises, conducted by the EBA on an annual basis are a fundamental supervisory and convergence tool to address unwarranted inconsistencies and restoring trust in internal models.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on the treatment of connected clients as defined in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), aiming at supporting institutions in identifying all possible connections among their clients, in particular when control relationships or economic dependency should lead to the grouping of clients because they constitute a single risk. The guidelines apply to all areas of the CRR where the concept of ‘group of connected client’ is used, including the EBA technical standards and the EBA guidelines that refer to that concept.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to the European Parliament, Council and European Commission, on matters relating to the regulatory perimeter under the Capital Requirements Directive/Regulation (CRDIV/CRR). These include the use of Articles 2(5) and 9(2) CRDIV and the interpretation of the terms 'financial institution' and 'ancillary services undertaking' as defined in the CRR. The Opinion is based on the results of a detailed assessment across the EU of the prudential treatment of 'other financial intermediaries' (OFIs), i.e. those entities carrying out credit intermediation activities that are not credit institutions nor other specified types of financial entity. The results of this assessment are included in a Report also published today.‎ The EBA's findings are relevant to the consideration of the legislative proposals to amend the CRDIV/CRR.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the different methods of prudential consolidation, which can be applied when certain conditions and criteria are met. The aim of these draft RTS is to ensure that the appropriate method of prudential consolidation is applied for the calculation of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) requirements on a consolidated basis. The con-sultation runs until 09 February 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today its final Guidelines on the supervision of significant branches. Prompted by the increasing demand to establish branches across the European Union, these Guidelines are designed to facilitate cooperation and coordination between the Competent Authorities involved in the prudential supervision of significant branches of EU institutions established in another Member State. In particular, these Guidelines will facilitate cooperation and coordination of supervision of the largest and systemically important branches, the so-called ‘significant-plus’ branches.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Recommendation on the coverage of entities in banking group recovery plans. This Recommendation, addressed to both Competent Authorities and institutions, aims at defining common criteria to identify entities that need to be covered in group recovery plans, as well as the extent of such coverage. These criteria will help institutions avoid a fragmented approach in providing information in recovery plans and gain a better understanding of the relevant supervisory expectations.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) in accordance with its Pillar 2 Roadmap, published in April 2017, launched today a public consultation to review three guidelines aimed at further enhancing institutions’ risk management and supervisory convergence in the supervisory review and examination process (SREP). The revisions focus on stress testing, particularly its use in setting Pillar 2 capital guidance (P2G), as well as interest rate risk in the banking book (IRRBB). The consultations on all three guidelines run until 31 January 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) updated today all the information disclosed by EU Competent Authorities according to its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory disclosure, which were published in the EU Official Journal on 4 June 2014. This information, published in an aggregated format, provides an overview of the implementation and transposition of the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD IV) and Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) across the EU. It also provides a detailed picture of the use of options and national discretions by each Competent Authority as well as information on the general criteria and methodologies used for the purpose of the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP). Through such disclosure, the EBA remains committed to providing meaningful comparisons across the EU and to promoting supervisory convergence.

The Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority (EBA) agreed in its meeting held on 24-25 October 2017 on the final timeline of the 2018 EU-wide stress test. The exercise is expected to be launched at the beginning of 2018 and the results to be published by 2 November 2018. The EBA, in co-operation with Competent Authorities, is now in the process of finalising the methodology and templates with the objective of sharing them with participating banks ahead of the launch.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) specifying the framework for cooperation and the exchange of information between competent authorities under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The RTS also clarify the type of information as well as the templates to be used by payment institutions when reporting to the competent authorities of the host Member States on the payment business activities carried out in their territories. The consultation runs until 5 January 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated list of public sector entities (PSEs) that may be treated as regional governments, local authorities or central governments for the calculation of capital requirements, in accordance with the EU Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on complaints procedures to be followed by competent authorities (CAs) to ensure and monitor effective compliance by payment service providers (PSPs) with the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). These Guidelines are part of the EBA’s work to support the core objectives of PSD2 of strengthening the integrated payments market across the European Union, ensuring a consistent, efficient and effective application of the legislative framework and promoting transparency.

The EBA published today an Opinion on Brexit to ensure the consistent application of Union legislation to businesses seeking to establish or enhance their EU27 presence in order to retain access to the EU Single Market. The Opinion aims at providing greater certainty to firms and ultimately at ensuring a level playing field. In the Opinion, the EBA addresses a number of relevant policy topics relating to authorisations, the prudential regulation and supervision of investment firms, internal models, outsourcing, internal governance, risk transfers via back-to-back and intragroup operations, and resolution and deposit guarantee scheme issues. The EBA will monitor how the Opinion will be applied in practice by authorities and will continue its policy and risk analysis work in relation to the challenges posed by Brexit.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) rectified today Annex 1 of its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on benchmarking of internal approaches, which had been amended on 4 May 2017 to define the benchmarking portfolios for the 2018 benchmarking exercise.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation to amend the Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the information which institutions must provide to resolution authorities for the purpose of drawing up and implementing resolution plans. This review aims to update the framework taking into account the latest experience available in the areas of resolution planning and supervisory reporting. The consultation runs until 11 December 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a periodical update of its Risk Dashboard summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector through a set of Risk Indicators in Q2 2017. The progress is positive, but risks remain heightened on asset quality and sustainable profitability.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its detailed annual work programme for 2018, describing the specific activities and tasks of the Authority for the coming year, as well as a multiannual work programme, highlighting the key strategic areas of work from 2018 to 2021.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its Opinion on the design and calibration of a new prudential framework for investment firms, which is specifically tailored to the needs of investment firms' different business models and inherent risks. The Opinion includes a series of recommendations aiming to develop a single and harmonised set of requirements that are reasonably simple, proportionate and relevant to the nature of investment firms authorised to provide MiFID services and activities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has signed a Framework Cooperation Arrangement with several US financial regulatory Agencies. The Framework Cooperation Arrangement lays out the basis for subsequent cooperation arrangements on bank crisis management and resolution between any of the EU Supervisory or Resolution Authorities and any of the participating US Agencies. This Framework Cooperation Arrangement has the objective to promote resolution planning and cooperation for cross-border institutions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) have published their joint Guidelines to assess the suitability of members of management bodies and key function holders. These Guidelines aim to harmonise and improve suitability assessments within EU financial sectors, and to ensure sound governance arrangements in financial institutions in line with the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD IV) and the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II). The Guidelines highlight the importance for institutions to consider whether candidates have the knowledge, qualification and skills necessary to safeguard proper and prudent management of the institution. The Guidelines also foster more diverse management bodies and, therefore, contribute to improved risk oversight and resilience of institutions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has published today its revised Guidelines on Internal Governance. These Guidelines aim at further harmonising institutions' internal governance arrangements, processes and mechanisms across the EU, in line with the new requirements in this area introduced in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD IV) and also taking into account the proportionality principle. Effective internal governance is fundamental if individual institutions and the banking system as a whole are to operate well.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) published today guidelines to prevent the abuse of funds transfers for terrorist financing and money laundering purposes. These guidelines are part of the ESAs' wider work on fostering a consistent approach to Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) and promote a common understanding of payment service providers' obligations in this area

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation to amend the Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory disclosure, which specify the format, structure, contents list and annual publication date of the supervisory information to be disclosed by competent authorities. The revised draft ITS will incorporate the changes to the EU legal framework and the establishment of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). The consultation runs until 22 December 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) welcomed today the European Commission’s proposal to adjust and upgrade its current framework to ensure the Authority is adequately equipped in terms of powers, governance and funding. In particular, the EBA welcomes its strengthened competencies in the areas of supervisory convergence and mediation, supporting the EBA’s enhanced focus on more integrated and consistent supervisory processes and outcomes in the Single Market.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its discussion paper on significant risk transfer in securitisation. This work builds on the EBA’s monitoring activity of supervisory practices in the area of significant risk transfer, which the Authority started in 2014 with the publication of the EBA Guidelines on this topic. The discussion paper aims at seeking stakeholders’ views on how to further harmonise the regulation and supervision of the risk transfer through securitisation. The EBA’s proposals are based on the newly agreed European securitisation legislation. The consultation runs until 19 December 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its twelfth Report of the CRDIV-CRR/Basel III monitoring exercise on the European banking system. This exercise presents aggregate data on EU banks’ capital, leverage, and liquidity ratios assuming full implementation of the CRD IV-CRR/Basel III framework. Overall, the results, based on data as of 31 December 2016, show a further improvement of European banks' capital positions, with a total average Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio of 13.4% (12.8% as of 30 June 2016). This exercise does not reflect any BCBS standards agreed since the beginning of 2016 or any other measures currently being considered by the BCBS.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be formally validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft implementing technical standards (ITS) specifying templates and procedures resolution authorities should follow when informing the EBA of the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) that have been set for institutions under their jurisdiction. These standards will enable the EBA to monitor the consistency of MREL implementation across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated list of public sector entities (PSEs) that may be treated as regional governments, local authorities or central governments for the calculation of capital requirements, in accordance with the EU Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today 12 indicators and underlying data from the 35 largest institutions in the EU, whose leverage ratio exposure measure exceeds EUR 200 bn. In 2015, the number of banks with a leverage ratio exposure measure exceeding EUR 200 bn was 36 and 3 banks have changed in the sample. This end-2016 data contributes to the internationally agreed basis on which a smaller subset of banks will be identified as global systemically important institutions (G-SIIs), following the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) final assessments.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Discussion Paper on its approach to financial technology (FinTech). The EBA sets out in the Discussion Paper the results of the first EU-wide FinTech mapping exercise and its proposals for future work on FinTech.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Guidelines on reporting requirements on statistical data on fraud under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The Guidelines, which are addressed to payment service providers and competent authorities, are aimed at contributing to the objective of PSD2 to increase the security of retail payments in the EU. The consultation runs until 03 November 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated list of public sector entities (PSEs) that may be treated as regional governments, local authorities or central governments for the calculation of capital requirements, in accordance with the EU Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion following the notification by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FSA) of its intention to modify capital requirements in order to address an increase in macroprudential risk, based on Article 458 of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today two reports on EU banks’ funding plans and asset encumbrance respectively. The reports aim to provide important information for EU supervisors to assess the sustainability of banks’ main sources of funding. The results of the assessment show that banks plan to increase their lending and to expand deposits as well as market based funding.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) submitted today their Technical Advice to the European Commission to set minimum requirements, which manufacturers of packaged retail and insurance-based investment products with environmental or social objectives (EOS PRIIPs) should comply with to ensure that they offer products that meet the retail investors’ needs.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the Final Guidelines on major incident reporting under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The Guidelines were developed in close cooperation with the European Central Bank (ECB), are addressed to all payment services providers and competent authorities in the 28 EU Member States, and contribute to the objective of the PSD2 of minimizing disruption to users, payment service providers and payment systems.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on the draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) and implementing technical standards (ITS) on the EBA electronic central register under the Payment Services Directive (PSD2), which respectively set requirements on the development, operation and maintenance of the register and the information to be contained in it. The consultation runs until 18 September 2017.

The Joint Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs – European Banking Authority, European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, and European Securities and Markets Authority) published today its decision in an appeal brought by FinancialCraft Analytics Sp. z o.o. (formerly named Global Rating Sp. z o.o.) against a decision of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its future work plan on credit assessments issued by External Credit Assessment Institutions (ECAIs). Besides its ongoing work on the mapping of ECAIs’ credit assessments, the EBA plans to strengthen the monitoring and quality of such mapping used for the determination of capital requirements, which may be calculated based on the relevant credit assessments produced by the current 25 credit rating agencies (30 in the future).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a revised Decision confirming the quality of unsolicited credit assessments assigned by certain External Credit Assessment Institutions (ECAIs) for calculating institutions' capital requirements. The revised Decision, which reflects the recognition of five additional ECAIs and the de-registering of one ECAI, is part of the Single Rulebook in banking and will ensure regulatory harmonisation across the European Union (EU) regarding the use of unsolicited credit ratings for determining institutions' own funds requirements.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) launched today a public consultation to amend the Implementing Regulations on the mapping of credit assessments of External Credit Assessment Institutions (ECAIs) for credit risk to reflect the recognition of five new credit rating agencies (CRAs) and the deregistration of one CRA. The Implementing Regulations are part of the EU Single Rulebook for banking and insurance aimed at creating a safe and sound regulatory framework consistently applicable across the European Union (EU). The consultation runs until 18/09/2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today (i) its final draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) on the information applicants shall provide to competent authorities when applying for authorisation as credit institutions, and (ii) its final draft implementing technical standards (ITS) related to the templates to be used for the provision of such information. Overall, these final draft technical standards aim at promoting convergence of supervisory practices regarding the assessment of the applications by prescribing a common set of information to be submitted to the competent authorities whilst securing a proportionate and workable approach that takes into account differences in applicants’ size and proposed business models.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on a set of Guidelines specifying a uniform format for the institutions’ disclosure requirements of IFRS 9 and analogous expected credit losses (ECLs) transitional arrangements. The Guidelines aim at increasing consistency and comparability of the information disclosed by institutions during the transition to the full implementation of the new accounting standard, and at ensuring market discipline. The consultation runs until 13 September 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report including some qualitative and quantitative observations of its second impact assessment of IFRS 9. This exercise, which follows up on the first impact assessment published in November 2016, has confirmed the EBA’s initial observations on the stage of preparation for the implementation of IFRS 9 and the estimated impact of IFRS 9 on regulatory own funds.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on the information to be provided by applicants intending to obtain authorisation as payment and electronic money institutions as well as to register as account information service providers (AISP) under the revised Payment Service Directive (PSD2). These Guidelines are in support of the objective of the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) of contributing to an integrated payments market across the European Union, ensuring a consistent application of the legislative framework, and promoting equal conditions for competition.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today data relating to two key concepts in the Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive (DGDS): available financial means, and covered deposits. The data provides an overview of the level of pre-funded resources available to each Deposit Guarantee Scheme (DGS) in the EU to cover its potential liabilities to depositors. The pre-funded available financial means of each DGS are in the process of being built up under a new funding model introduced in 2014. However, the deposit guarantee of €100,000 (or equivalent in local currency) remains fully in effect, and built up available financial means are only one source of funding for EU DGSs. With this publication, which will be done on a yearly basis, the EBA will contribute to enhance transparency and public accountability of DGSs across the EU to the benefit of depositors, markets, policymakers, DGSs and Members States.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), on the criteria on how to stipulate the minimum monetary amount of the professional indemnity insurance (PII) or other comparable guarantee for payment initiation services (PIS) and account information services (AIS). Undertakings intending to carry out these services will need PII cover or a comparable guarantee as a prerequisite to be granted authorisation. The Guidelines, therefore, contribute to the overall objectives of PSD2, by strengthening the liability regime governing the interactions between the different actors involved in electronic payment transactions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a supplementary data collection aimed at supporting the response to the European Commission’s Call for Advice on the new prudential framework for investment firms. This exercise follows up on the first data collection launched on 15 July 2016 and the EBA Discussion Paper published on 4 November 2016, in which the EBA consulted on its proposals for developing a new prudential framework. In light of the feedback received in the consultation and the additional analysis undertaken, many valuable improvements have been made to the initial proposals. As a result, the EBA considers necessary to launch a supplementary data collection to support the final calibration and impact assessment of the new framework.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) acknowledged the adoption by the European Commission of the Implementing Act amending Regulation (EU) No 680/2014 (Implementing Technical Standards on Supervisory Reporting) with regard to financial reporting (FINREP) following the changes in the International Accounting Standards (IFRS 9). The Implementing Act, which is based on the final draft ITS on supervisory reporting submitted by the EBA in November 2016, was adopted by the Commission on 29 June 2017 and its publication in the EU Official Journal is still pending. The amended requirements will apply as of 1 March 2018 (reporting framework v2.7).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an alert that its name and logo are being used to validate email scams aiming at obtaining money or personal details. Most scams fraudulently claim that the EBA have a role in approving financial transactions to and from the European Union (EU). Samples of such emails are being flagged to the EBA from all over the world.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a periodical update of its Risk Dashboard. It summarises the main risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector through a set of Risk Indicators in Q1 2017. Together with the Risk Dashboard, the EBA published the results of its Risk Assessment Questionnaire, which includes the opinions of banks and market analysts on the risk outlook between April and May this year.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on the implementation of the EBA Guidelines on methods for calculating contributions to deposit guarantee schemes (DGSs). The draft Report assesses whether the principles outlined in the EBA Guidelines on these methods are being met in practice. It also evaluates whether there is appropriate and consistent implementation of these Guidelines. The consultation runs until 28 August 2017 .

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) that specify the criteria for determining when the appointment of a central contact point under the PSD2 is appropriate and the functions that these contact points should have. The consultation runs until 29 September 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion responding to the European Commission’s (EC) intention to amend the EBA’s draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on strong customer authentication and common and secure communication. In its Opinion, while agreeing with the aims sought in the EC’s amendments, the EBA voices its disagreement with three of the four concrete amendments the Commission proposes on the basis that it would negatively impact the fine trade-off and balances previously found in the RTS.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report presenting the conclusions of its assessment on the topic of innovative uses of consumer data by financial institutions. The Report looks at both the risks and potential benefits of this innovation and identifies a number of requirements under EU law applying to financial institutions, which mitigate many of the risks identified by the EBA. The Report concludes that no additional, industry-specific legislative or regulatory requirements are needed at present, but the EBA will continue to monitor closely this innovation. The Report encourages cooperation between supervisory authorities across all relevant policy areas and contributes to fostering a consistent supervisory approach to innovation in the financial sector.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) published today its final Guidelines on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT). The Guidelines promote a common understanding of the risk-based approach to AML/CFT and set out how it should be applied. . These Guidelines are part of the ESAs’ wider work on fostering a consistent and effective approach to AML/CFT by both, credit and financial institutions, and AML/CFT supervisors. The Guidelines provide credit and financial institutions with the tools they need to make informed, risk-based decisions on the effective management of individual business relationships and occasional transactions for AML/CFT purposes.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) published today draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) to help Member States determine when payment service providers and electronic money issuers should appoint a Central Contact Point (CCP) to support the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a Discussion Paper on the application of the structural FX provision. The paper outlines the rationale behind the treatment of structural positions as well as broader issues related to the structural FX concept, such as the actual nature of FX risk, considering both the accounting and regulatory perspectives. It also examines in greater detail the potential inconsistencies in the articulation of the FX requirements, both in the current Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) as well as in the CRR2 proposal for institutions applying the standardised and internal model approaches. The consultation runs until 22 September 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its draft amending Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on credit valuation adjustment (CVA) proxy spread. These RTS propose limited amendments to the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 526/2014 for determining proxy spread and limited smaller portfolios for credit valuation adjustment risk, based on two policy recommendations contained in the EBA’s CVA report, published on 25 February 2015. Through the proposed amendments the EBA expects to ensure a more adequate calculation of own funds requirements for CVA risk.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) announced today it has put on hold its draft Guidelines on the treatment of CVA risk under SREP until further notice, due to continued developments in the CVA risk framework at international level. However, monitoring work continues with the EBAs 2016 credit valuation adjustment (CVA) risk monitoring exercise, which was launched today. The exercise fits into the EBA mandate to monitor the own funds requirements for CVA risk and follows on from policy recommendation No 4 of the CVA Report. The EBA expects institutions to complete the exercise by 14 September 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) received a notification regarding the resolution action taken by the Single Resolution Board (the SRB) in respect of Banco Popular Español as the conditions for resolution were met. The SRB adopted a resolution scheme providing for the application of the sale of business tool. Following a marketing process, the SRB decided to transfer Banco Popular to Banco Santander S.A. and to exercise the power of write-down and conversion of capital instruments prior to the transfer in order to address the shortfall in the value of the Institution.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) submitted today its response to the European Commission's Public Consultation on FinTech : a more competitive and innovative European financial sector Document on Retail Financial Services. In the response, the EBA conveys its views on a subset of the Commission’s questions, and focuses on the work the EBA has done so far on FinTech. Separately, the EBA is currently developing a Discussion Paper on FinTech issues that fall more into the EBA’s remit and will publish its views in the coming months.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its 2016 Annual Report, which provides a detailed account of all the work the Authority achieved in the past year and anticipates the key areas of focus in the coming years.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) will hold a public hearing on 3 July 2017 at 14:00 UK time to update all relevant stakeholders on the progress made so far on the possibility of developing a new prudential regime for MiFID investment firms.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its 2018 EU-wide stress test draft methodology and templates for discussion with the industry. The exercise will cover 70% of the EU banking sector and will assess EU banks' ability to meet relevant supervisory capital ratios during an adverse economic shock. The methodology covers all relevant risk areas and, for the first time, will incorporate IFRS 9 accounting standards. The results will inform the 2018 Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP), challenging banks' capital plans and leading to relevant supervisory outcomes. The exercise will also provide enhanced transparency so that market participants can compare and assess the resilience of EU banks on a consistent basis. The list of institutions participating in the exercise is also released today.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) launched today a public consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying how credit and financial institutions should manage money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) risks where a third country’s law prevents the implementation in their branches or majority-owned subsidiaries of group-wide policies and procedures on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).‎ These RTS are part of the ESAs' wider work on fostering a common approach to AML/CFT and will contribute to creating a level playing field across the Union’s financial sector. The consultation runs until 11 July 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion in response to the European Commission’s public consultation on the operation of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs). The Opinion welcomes the public consultation which acknowledges the results the EBA has obtained since its establishment in 2011. It also points to a possible way forward to confirm its role as guardian of the Single Rulebook and to increase its effectiveness in ensuring supervisory convergence across the EU. Finally, it suggests how the EBA’s role with regards to supervisory reporting could be strengthened and improved.

The European Banking Authority launched today a consultation focusing on the scope of its draft Guidelines on connected clients, on which it had already sought the stakeholders’ views in July 2016. In the new consultation, the EBA is proposing to extend the scope of these draft Guidelines to the remaining aspects of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), the EBA technical standards, and the EBA guidelines where the concept of group of connected client is relevant. The extension of the scope would ensure the consistent application of this concept throughout the CRR and the harmonisation of institutions’ practices. The consultation runs until 26 June 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) announced today that it will publish data for its fourth annual EU-wide transparency exercise in December 2017 together with the Risk Assessment Report (RAR). Nearly 600000 data points in total on more than 130 banks will be released, covering all key balance sheet items. The transparency exercise is part of the EBA's efforts to foster market discipline, improve the understanding of the EU banking system and ensures both a detailed snap shot and consistent time series.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) welcomes the enhancement of the FX Global Code (the Code) and the publication of its May 2017 update. The objective of the Code is to promote a robust, fair, liquid, open, and transparent market underpinned by high ethical standards, which shall benefit all wholesale FX market participants. The Code's guidelines for responsible participation in the FX market are in line with the EBA's work aimed at fostering financial institutions' effective governance and enhanced consumer protection in all areas of financial products and services.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on valuation in resolution. These draft RTS are a crucial piece of regulation for the resolution framework as they aim to provide the independent valuer with common criteria for the valuation, which will inform the decisions made by resolution authorities, thus promoting a consistent approach to such valuations across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to the EU institutions expressing its views on a number of aspects related to own funds in the context of the European Commission’s proposal to amend the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and Capital Requirements Directive (CRD). In the Opinion, the EBA calls, in particular, for a possible strengthening of the Authority’s role in assessing issuances of CET1 instruments. In addition, the Opinion elaborates on restrictions on distributions in the context of capital conservation measures and suggests introducing a general anti-circumvention principle. The views expressed in this Opinion are not meant to be exhaustive and focus on the areas deemed to be the most significant ones.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its fifth updated list of capital instruments that Competent Supervisory Authorities (CAs) across the European Union (EU) have classified as Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1). The list is for the first time accompanied by a Report, which includes additional information on the underlying objectives of the monitoring update as well as on the consequences of including or excluding instruments in or from the list. The EBA intends to update this report on a regular basis to give account of new developments in CET1 issuances and market practices.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation setting out its guidance for the use of cloud service providers by financial institutions. The EBA Recommendations intend to clarify the EU-wide supervisory expectations if institutions intend to adopt cloud computing, so as to allow them to leverage the benefits of using cloud services, while ensuring that any related risks are adequately identified and managed. The consultation runs until 18 August 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on credit institutions’ credit risk management practices and accounting for expected credit losses. These Guidelines aim at ensuring sound credit risk management practices associated with the implementation and on-going application of the accounting for expected credit losses. The Guidelines are part of the EBA’s work on the implementation of IFRS 9 and its interaction with prudential requirements and build on the Guidance published by the Basel Committee on the same matter.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on the assessment of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) risk in the context of the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP). These Guidelines are addressed to competent authorities and aim at promoting common procedures and methodologies for the assessment of ICT risk.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) further specifying the eligibility criteria to determine whether institutions should be subject to simplified obligations when drafting their recovery and resolution plans. The consultation runs until 8 August 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Technical Standards setting out the standardised terminology for services linked to a payment account, and the standardised formats and common symbol of the fee information document (FID) and the Statement of Fees (SoF). These Technical Standards contribute to enhancing comparability of fees, through standardised terminology and disclosure documents across the European Union.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on security measures for operational and security risks under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The Guidelines have been developed in close cooperation with the European Central Bank (ECB), and are in support of the objectives of PSD2, such as strengthening the integrated payments market in the EU, mitigating the increased security risks arising from electronic payments, and promoting equal conditions for competition.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an amended version of its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on benchmarking of internal approaches. These amendments aim at ensuring a better quality of the submitted data and, ultimately will assist the EBA and competent authorities in their 2018 assessment of internal approaches for credit and market risk. The EBA plans to annually update the ITS to ensure future benchmarking exercises are relevant and successful.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an update to the XBRL taxonomy that Competent Authorities should use for the remittance of data under the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The revised taxonomy will be used for reference dates from 31 March 2018 onwards.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) has published its spring 2017 Report on risks and vulnerabilities in the European Union’s financial system. The Report highlights the risks to the stability of the European financial sector in an environment subject to political and economic uncertainties. In particular, the protracted period of low profitability of banks and the difficulties faced by insurers to generate adequate returns to meet long-term liabilities in a low growth and low-yield environment remains a major challenge. In addition, the steepening of the yield curve may benefit earnings across all sectors but it also raises valuation concerns and, in the short term, may not be sufficient to alleviate the low profitability concerns. The Report also highlights the high valuation risk linked to search for yield strategies and repricing of risk premia. Rising operational risks related to information and communication technologies are increasingly requiring supervisory attention.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report on the Peer Review carried out on its ITS on supervisory reporting aimed at assessing how supervisory authorities have ensured its consistent and comprehensive implementation. The Report summarises the outcomes of this assessment involving the supervisory authorities of all EU Member States, the European Central Bank (ECB)/Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) and the supervisory authorities of three European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). Overall, the Peer Review concluded that most supervisory authorities have put in place robust processes and IT systems to ensure a timely, complete and correct data reporting.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a roadmap outlining its plans to update the common European framework for the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP) in 2017-2018. The roadmap explains the multi-stage approach the EBA intends to follow in updating the EU SREP framework in 2017-2018 and beyond, and summarises the ongoing policy initiatives affecting Pillar 2/SREP that will need to be reflected in the revised EBA guidelines on Pillar 2 topics.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (FSA) following the Competent Authority’s notification of its intention to introduce a partial waiver of Article 129 (1)(c) of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), which specifies the conditions for the eligibility of covered bonds in relation to risk weight preferential treatment. Given the significant potential concentration problem in Poland, the EBA is of the opinion that the application of a partial waiver is adequately justified.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to the German Federal Financial Services Supervisory Authority (BaFin) following the Competent Authority's notification of its decision to introduce a partial waiver of Article 129 (1)(c) of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), which specifies the conditions for the eligibility of covered bonds in relation to risk weight preferential treatment. Given the significant potential concentration problem in Germany, the EBA is of the opinion that the application of a partial waiver is adequately justified.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a call for research papers in view of its sixth policy research workshop taking place on 28-29 November 2017 in London on the topic "The future role of quantitative models in financial regulation".

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) published today 22 language versions of the final Guidelines on the characteristics of a risk-based approach to anti-money laundering and terrorist financing supervision under Directive (EU) 2015/849 on preventing the use of the financial system for money laundering or terrorist financing (Fourth Anti Money Laundering (AML) Directive).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) amending the European Commission's Implementing Regulation (EU) No 680/2014 on supervisory reporting so as to keep reporting requirements in line with changes in the regulatory framework and with the evolving needs for Supervisory Authorities’ risk assessments. The updated ITS include (i) new information on sovereign exposures; (ii) changes to operational risk; (iii) changes to additional monitoring metrics for liquidity and (iv) Q&A- based changes and other minor amendments. These changes form part of the EBA reporting framework version 2.7, which will be applicable for submissions of data as of March 2018.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) launched today a public consultation on draft Guidelines that set out what payment service providers should do to detect and prevent the abuse of funds transfers for terrorist financing and money laundering purposes. These Guidelines are part of the ESAs’ wider work on fostering a common approach to Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) and promote a common understanding of payment service providers’ obligations in this area. This is essential to ensure the consistent application of AML/CFT law, which not only strengthens the European Union’s AML/CFT regime but is also a prerequisite for the smooth and efficient functioning of payment systems. The consultation runs until 5 June 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today three sets of final Guidelines on bail-in under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). These Guidelines complement existing regulation and guidance to facilitate the use of the bail-in power as a way of absorbing losses and recapitalising banks in resolution. In particular the Guidelines clarify how valuation information should help determine the terms of bail-in.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a periodical update of its Risk Dashboard summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector by a set of Risk Indicators in Q4 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) welcomed the Central Bank of Kosovoas an additional signatory party to the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with banking supervisory authorities in several South-Eastern European (SEE) countries. The MoCwas signed in 2015 to establish a framework for cooperation and information exchange.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its 2016 annual assessment of EU supervisory colleges, which are established for the effective supervision of EU cross-border banking groups. The Report highlighted a number of achievements made by colleges in the course of 2016, including a good level and quality of engagement, and also identified areas for improvement as well as topics for supervisory attention for 2017. The Report relied on the EBA staff observations gained through their participation in colleges of supervisors and on the consolidated results of the individual college assessments conducted at the end of 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) updated today the 2016 list of Other Systemically Important Institutions (O-SIIs) in the EU. O-SIIs - those institutions which, along with Global Systemically Important Institutions (G-SIIs) are deemed systemically important - have been identified by the relevant authorities across the Union according to harmonised criteria provided by the EBA Guidelines. This list also reflects the additional capital buffers that the relevant authorities have set for the identified O-SIIs.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion following the notification by the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) of its intention to modify capital requirements in order to address an increase in macroprudential risk. Based on the evidence submitted by the NBB, the EBA does not object to the adoption of the proposed measures, which are based on Article 458 of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The European Banking Authority set up a dedicated section on its website to centralise information on crisis prevention, management liquidation and resolution of credit institutions in the Union based on the notifications received from the respective national authorities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be formally validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion to the European Parliament, Council and Commission proposing that the decision-making framework for adopting supervisory reporting requirements be made more efficient and fit-for-purpose by replacing the Commission’s Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) with decisions adopted directly by the EBA.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) disclosure. These Guidelines provide harmonised disclosure templates and tables for LCR disclosure and aim at improving transparency and comparability of LCR and other liquidity risk management related information.

The Vienna Initiative has agreed to establish a Working Group on Capital Markets Union. This follows the European Union’s push to strengthen Capital Markets which will have a major impact on financing of investment and sustaining growth in the Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe region (CESEE). “Strengthening and diversifying sources of finance is crucial in the region today, as the regional catching up process advances and a new model for growth emerges”, commented Werner Hoyer, the President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), which is hosting this year’s Vienna Initiative 2 Full Forum at its headquarters in Luxembourg.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to the European Commission, Parliament and Council and to all competent authorities across the EU on transitional arrangements and credit risk adjustments to mitigate the effect of the accounting standard IFRS 9 on prudential ratios. The EBA supports the progressive recognition of the initial impact of IFRS 9 from 1 January 2018 until 2021.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the disclosure of encumbered and unencumbered assets for the provision of transparent and harmonised information on this topic, as laid down in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). Through the disclosure of asset encumbrance based on a consistent definition and formats, these standards will enable market participants to assess the information provided by institutions in a clear and consistent manner.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today two reports on the consistency of RWAs, and for the first time, across all EU institutions authorised to use internal approaches for the calculation of capital requirements. The reports cover residential mortgage, SME and other corporate portfolios (collectively referred to as "high default portfolios" - HDP), as well as market risk. The results confirm previous findings and establish these annual benchmarking exercises as a fundamental supervisory tool to restoring trust in internal models.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Recommendation on the coverage of entities in banking group recovery plans, which is aimed at defining common criteria to identify entities (subsidiaries and branches) that need to be covered in group recovery plans, and the extent of such coverage. Such criteria should help institutions avoid a fragmented approach in providing information in recovery plans, and provide a common guidance for home and host supervisors. The consultation runs until 02 June 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its fourth thematic comparative Report on recovery planning. The focus of this comparative analysis is recovery options, which are crucial for assessing institutions’ actual capacity to regain viability following a period of severe financial distress. Overall, recovery plans in the sample provided a good overview of recovery options and clear improvements were seen across the board, although some challenges still remain. This benchmarking exercise aims at supporting supervisors in their assessment to identify the crucial elements that banks should consider when designing and selecting credible recovery options.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) organised on 1 and 2 March 2017 a Joint Colloquium with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on ‘New Frontiers on Stress Testing’. The workshop brought together economists, supervisors and policy makers at European and global level with the objective of stimulating the discussion on different aspects of stress testing ranging from the latest methodologies and frameworks for the implementation of liquidity stress tests to macroeconomic variables, capital planning and governance.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the nature, severity and duration of an economic downturn according to which institutions shall estimate the downturn loss given default (LGD) and conversion factor (CF). These draft RTS are part of the EBA’s broader work on the review of the IRB approach aimed at reducing the unjustified variability in the outcomes of internal models, while preserving the risk sensitivity of capital requirements. The consultation runs until 29 May 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its eleventh Report of the CRDIV-CRR/Basel III monitoring exercise on the European banking system. This exercise, run in parallel with the one conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) at a global level, presents aggregate data on capital ratios – risk-based and non-risk-based (leverage) – and liquidity ratios – the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and net stable funding ratio (NSFR) – for banks across the European Union (EU). It summarises the results using data as of 30 June 2016 but does not reflect any BCBS standards agreed since the beginning of 2016, such as the revisions to the market risk framework, or any other BCBS proposals, which have not yet been finalised, including the revisions to credit and operational risk frameworks.

The Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority (EBA) agreed in its meeting held on 14 February on the tentative timeline of the 2018 EU-wide stress test. The exercise is expected to be launched at the beginning of 2018 and the results to be published in mid-year. The EBA, in co-operation with Competent Authorities, is now in the process of preparing the methodology and templates with the objective of discussing with the industry in summer 2017. The new methodology will be revised to take into account the implementation of IFRS 9 both in the starting points as well as in the projections.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on strong customer authentication and common and secure communication. These RTS, which were mandated under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and developed in close cooperation with the European Central Bank (ECB), pave the way for an open and secure market in retail payments in the European Union.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs – European Banking Authority, European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority and the European Securities and Markets Authority) have published a statement in response to industry requests relating to operational challenges in meeting the deadline of 1 March 2017 for exchanging variation margin.

The three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) published today a joint Opinion addressed to the European Commission on the risks of money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) affecting the European Union’s financial sector. This Opinion will contribute to the European Commission’s risk assessment work as well as that of the ESAs of fostering supervisory convergence and a level playing field in the area of anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion to the European Commission, expressing dissent over some of the proposed amendments to its final draft Regulatory Technical Standard (RTS) on the separation of payment card schemes and processing entities under the Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR). The EBA clarified that there is no clear requirement for a legal and structural separation between card schemes and processing entities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Guidelines on the complaints procedures to be taken into consideration by competent authorities (CAs) to ensure and monitor effective compliance by payment service providers (PSPs) of the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). These draft Guidelines are part of the EBA’s work to support the core objectives of the PSD2 of strengthening the integrated payments market across the European Union, ensuring a consistent application of the legislative framework and promoting transparency. The consultation runs until 16 May 2017.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) launched today a public consultation on draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) to help Member States determine when payment service providers and electronic money issuers should appoint a Central Contact Point (CCP) to support the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. These draft RTS are part of the Joint Committee's work to establish consistent and effective risk-based supervisory practices across the EU. The consultation runs until 5 May 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated list of institutions, which have a reporting obligation for the purpose of the 2017 EU supervisory benchmarking exercise. The EBA runs this exercise leveraging on established data collection procedures and formats of regular supervisory reporting and assists Competent Authorities in assessing the quality of internal approaches used to calculate risk weighted exposure amounts.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the procedures for excluding transactions with non-financial counterparties (NFCs) established in a third country from the capital requirement for credit valuation adjustment (CVA) risk. The proposed RTS aim at harmonising the treatment of NFCs established in a third country across EU Member States.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its annual Report on high earners in EU banks, which shows a significant increase in their number in 2015 (+33.04% compared to 2014). The Report contains data covering all staff of institutions in the EU and EU branches of third country institutions receiving a total remuneration of one million euro or above. The data is available in aggregate format at the EU level, for each Member State, and by payment bracket within each Member State. The EBA will publish this year the report on High Earners with data for the financial year 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) recalled today the key deadlines Competent Authorities should comply with for the submission of data needed to perform the 2017 supervisory benchmarking exercise. Despite the pending approval by the European Commission of the amended Implementing Technical Standard (ITS) on benchmarking, compliance with the proposed deadlines will ensure a smooth and timely start of the 2017 exercise.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an update to the XBRL taxonomy that Competent Authorities should use for the remittance of data under the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The revised taxonomy will be used for reference dates from 30 June 2017 onwards and includes changes and corrections to validation rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published today their joint report on the functioning of the Capital Requirements Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR) with the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (EMIR). The report calls for the requirements for credit, market, and counterparty credit risk in the CRR to be clarified. This clarification should ensure that only risks not already covered by specific financial resources for activities not related to clearing are to be covered by CRR requirements. This exclusion should also be extended to activities covered by interoperability arrangements.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a periodical update of its Risk Dashboard summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector by a set of Risk Indicators in Q3 2016. Together with the Risk Dashboard, the EBA published the results of a Risk Assessment Questionnaire, which was conducted among banks and market analysts between October and November this year.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its Opinion addressed to the European Commission following its assessment of non-EU countries' equivalence with the EU prudential supervision and regulatory requirements, whereby it concluded that the supervisory and regulatory framework applicable to credit institutions in Turkey and New Zealand can be regarded as equivalent to that applied in the Union.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an amended Recommendation on the equivalence of confidentiality regimes. Several additional non-EU supervisory authorities were added to the list of non-EU or third country supervisory authorities whose confidentiality regimes can be regarded as equivalent.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) have published their response to the European Commission on the amendments the Commission proposes to make to the draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) on key information documents (KIDs) for packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPS).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its Report on cyclicality of banks’ capital requirements aiming at clarifying whether risk-sensitive bank capital requirements as laid down in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) create unintended pro-cyclical effects by reinforcing the endogenous relationships between the financial system and the real economy. This report, which has been drafted in close cooperation with the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) and the European Central Bank (ECB) is in response to a request by the European Commission to understand whether CRDIV/CRR requirements exert significant effects on the economic cycle and, if so, whether any remedial measures are justified. In addition, this Report may inform the European Commission’s currently ongoing reviews of the EU micro- and macro-prudential frameworks and could serve as a valuable complementary contribution to the global discussions about the bank capital regulatory framework.

In its meeting on 6 December 2016, the Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority (EBA) decided to carry out its next EU-wide stress test in 2018, in line with its previous decision to aim for a biennial exercise. The EBA will start immediately to prepare the methodology for the 2018 stress test exercise, which will also include an assessment of the impact of IFRS 9, which will be implemented on 1 January 2018. This decision has been communicated to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. In 2017, the EBA will perform its regular annual transparency exercise.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its third impact assessment Report for the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR), together with a review of its phasing-in period. The Report shows a constant improvement of the average LCR across EU banks since 2011. At the reporting date of 31 December 2015, EU banks’ average LCR was significantly above the 100% minimum requirement, which will have to be fully implemented by January 2018, and no strong evidence was found suggesting that the EBA should recommend an extension of the phasing-in period of the LCR. The Report, which is based on liquidity data from 194 EU banks across 17 Member States, is the first publication after the implementation of the minimum binding standards in 2015 and accounts for the provisions of the Commission’s Delegated Regulation on the LCR.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on the supervision of significant branches. Prompted by the increasing demand to establish branches across the European Union, these Guidelines are designed to facilitate cooperation and coordination between the Competent Authorities (CAs). They will assist them in supervising the largest systemically important branches, the so-called “significant-plus” branches, which require intensified supervision.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report including recommendations on how to harmonise covered bond framework in the EU. This Report represents an unparalleled attempt to further strengthen the covered bonds across the EU and seeks to ensure that only those financial instruments that comply with the harmonised structural, credit risk and prudential standards can be branded as ‘covered bonds’ and have access to special regulatory and capital treatment as provided in the current EU financial regulation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a data collection for commodity derivatives firms that will support the European Commission in the calibration of the new prudential regime for investment firms. This exercise follows up on the consultation the EBA launched on 4 November 2016 in response to the European Commission's call for technical advice on the design of a new prudential regime for investment firms, including the extent to which the new regime would also be suitable for or adaptable to specialised commodity derivatives firms.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) launched today a public consultation about the potential benefits and risks of Big Data for consumers and financial firms to determine whether any further regulatory or supervisory actions may be needed.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a qualitative survey on internal ratings-based (IRB) models to analyse the impact of the EBA draft Guidelines on the estimation of risk parameters for non-defaulted exposures, namely of the probability of default (PD) and the loss given default (LGD), and on the treatment of defaulted assets, which are currently under consultation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on regulatory disclosure requirements following an update of the Pillar 3 requirements by the Basel Committee in January 2015. These Guidelines represent a significant step forward in the EBA’s effort of improving and enhancing the consistency and comparability of institutions’ regulatory disclosures

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the framework for cooperation and exchange of information between Competent Authorities for passport notifications under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The technical standards will ensure that information about payment institutions and e-money institutions that carry out business in one or more EU Member States is exchanged consistently between the national authorities of the home and host Member States.

The EBA published today its final Report on the implementation and design of the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL). The Report quantifies the current MREL stack and estimates potential financing needs of European Union (EU) banks under various scenarios. It also assesses the possible macroeconomic costs and benefits of introducing MREL in the EU. Finally, the Report recommends a number of changes to reinforce the MREL framework and integrate the international standards on total loss-absorbing capacity (TLAC) in the EU’s MREL.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be formally validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines developed in close cooperation with the European Central Bank (ECB) under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The draft Guidelines specify (i) the criteria for classifying operational or security incidents as major, (ii) the template to be used by payment service providers when notifying them to the Competent Authorities (CAs,) and (iii) the indicators CAs need to use when assessing the relevance of such incidents. These Guidelines are in support of the objectives of the PSD2 of strengthening the integrated payments market across the European Union (EU), ensuring a consistent application of the legislative framework, promoting equal conditions for competition, providing a secure framework on the payments environment and protecting consumers.

The 45 EU Agencies and Joint Undertakings make a vast contribution to the economic and political development of the European Union according to two new studies presented today during the EU Agencies Forum at the European Parliament. The studies highlight that while the EU Agencies represent less than 0.8% of the EU’s annual budget their contribution has widespread impact at citizen, industry and policy level.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its ninth report on risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector. The report is accompanied by the EBA's 2016 transparency exercise, which provides essential data, in a comparable and accessible format, for 131 banks across the EU. Overall, banks have further strengthened their capital position, allowing them to continue the process of repair. The report identifies as the key challenges in that process the remaining high levels of non-performing loans (NPLs) and sustained low profitability. Operational risks also appear to be on the rise and volatility in funding markets remains high.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its fourth updated list of capital instruments that Competent Supervisory Authorities (CAs) across the European Union (EU) have classified as Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1). Since the publication of the previous update in September 2016, some new CET1 instruments have been assessed and evaluated as compliant with the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). The list will be maintained and updated on a regular basis.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its amended final draft implementing technical standards (ITS) on the reporting of financial information. The amended ITS follow the finalisation of IFRS 9 in July 2014 by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and its endorsement into EU law on 22 November 2016 and aim at aligning the reporting framework with the new IFRS 9 requirements while ensuring reporting institutions have adequate implementation time.

The EBA announced today that its annual risk assessment report accompanied by detailed individual data for the banks participating in the 2016 EU-wide transparency exercise will be published on Friday 2 December 2016 at 22:00 Central European Summer Time (21:00 GMT).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a second impact assessment of IFRS 9, which builds on the results of its first exercise published on 10 November 2016. The EBA expects that institutions will be able to provide more detailed and accurate insights into their implementation of IFRS 9 as the information provided by the respondents in the first exercise reflected the early stage of implementation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) that specify the conditions under which Competent Authorities assess the significance of positions included in the scope of market risk internal models, as well as the methodology they shall apply when assessing an institution’s compliance with the requirements to use an Internal Model Approach (IMA) for market risk. These draft RTS are a key component of the EBA's work to ensure consistency in models’ outputs and comparability of risk-weighted exposures and will contribute to harmonise the supervisory assessment methodology across all EU Member States and, ultimately, to restore confidence in the use of such models for regulatory purposes.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today additional information on the application of the proportionality principle to the remuneration provisions laid down in the Capital Requirements Directive in response to a request for advice from the European Commission.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the list of public sector entities (PSEs) that may be treated as regional governments, local authorities or central governments in the area of credit risk, in accordance with the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). This list will assist EU institutions in determining their capital requirements for credit risk.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today for consultation a proposal to review its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on additional monitoring metrics for liquidity, which mainly consists of reintroducing a maturity ladder in line with the reporting requirements laid down in the Commission’s Delegated Act on the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR). These revised ITS aim at providing Competent Authorities with harmonised information on institutions’ liquidity risk profile, taking into account the nature, scale and complexity of their activities.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – ESAs) published today its final Guidelines on the characteristics of a risk-based approach to anti-money laundering and terrorist financing supervision and the steps to be taken when conducting supervision on a risk-sensitive basis. These guidelines form part of the Joint Committee's work to establish consistent, effective and risk-based supervisory practices across the European Union and contribute to a more robust European anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime. They are consistent with international AML/CFT standards.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on the estimation of risk parameters for non-defaulted exposures, namely of the probability of default (PD) and the loss given default (LGD), and on the treatment of defaulted assets. These draft Guidelines are part of the EBA’s broader work on the review of the IRB approach aimed at reducing the unjustified variability in the outcomes of internal models, while preserving the risk sensitivity of capital requirements.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today for consultation revised Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The proposed amendments concern new requirements for the reporting of information on sovereign exposures and changed requirements for the reporting of operational risk data. The standards on supervisory reporting aim at collecting information on institutions’ compliance with prudential requirements in a consistent way and need to be updated whenever prudential or supervisory requirements change. This consultation runs until 7 January 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report including some qualitative and quantitative observations of its first impact assessment of IFRS 9. This exercise, which helped the EBA understand the way in which institutions are preparing for the application of IFRS 9, also contains some recommendations relevant to the observations as well as some future actions, including the interaction of IFRS 9 with existing prudential requirements.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on (i) regulatory technical standards (RTS) on the information to be provided to Competent Authorities for the authorisation of credit institutions and (ii) implementing technical standards (ITS) on the templates and procedures for the provision of such information. These standards aim at harmonising the information requirements in the authorisation process across the EU, thus facilitating the application process and ensuring a level playing field.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report in response to two calls for advice to assist the European Commission in the adoption into European legislation of two new international frameworks proposed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS): (i) a new standardised framework for counterparty risk (CCR), i.e. the so-called SA-CCR, and (ii) a new market risk (MKR) framework - the so-called fundamental review of the trading book (FRTB). In the Report, the EBA focuses on the envisaged impact of these two frameworks, for both large and small firms, and issues recommendations on their implementation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation in response to the European Commission's call for technical advice on the design of a new prudential regime for investment firms, which is specifically tailored to the needs of investment firms’ different business models and inherent risks. The aim of this work is to develop a single, harmonised set of requirements that are reasonably simple, proportionate, and more relevant to the nature of investment business. The consultation runs until 2 February 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines specifying the information to be provided by applicants intending to obtain authorisation as payment and electronic money institutions as well as to register as account information service providers under the revised Payment Service Directive (PSD2).These Guidelines are in support of the objective of PSD2 of strengthening an integrated payments market across the European Union, ensuring a consistent application of the legislative framework, and promoting equal conditions for competition. The consultation runs until 3 February 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on the collection of information related to the internal capital adequacy assessment process (ICAAP) and the internal liquidity adequacy assessment process (ILAAP). These Guidelines aim at facilitating a consistent approach to the supervisory assessment of ICAAP and ILAAP frameworks across the EU as part of the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final report on the reference point for the target level of national resolution financing arrangements. In the report, the EBA recommends changing the basis from covered deposits to a total liabilities-based measure and, in particular, total liabilities (excluding own funds) less covered deposits. The proposed methodology would align the target level basis with the reference base used for the calculation of individual contributions to national resolution financing arrangements.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its revised Guidelines on internal governance. These draft Guidelines aim at further harmonising institutions’ internal governance arrangements, processes and mechanisms across the EU, in line with the new requirements in this area introduced in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) and also taking into account the proportionality principle. The consultation runs until 28 January 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) launched today a consultation on Guidelines on the Assessment of the Suitability of the Members of Management Body and Key Function Holders (the Guidelines). The draft Guidelines aim at further improving and harmonising suitability assessments within the EU financial sectors and so ensure sound governance arrangements in financial institutions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the procedures and templates which Resolution Authorities should use when informing the EBA of the minimum requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) that have been set for each institution under their jurisdiction. These standards will enable the EBA to monitor on a consistent basis the implementation of MREL across the Union.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its response to the European Commission’s call for advice of 26 April 2016 on the review of the large exposures framework laid down in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). The EBA’s response has been provided in the form of a report divided in three different sections and including also recommendations to entrust the EBA with additional mandates to further simplify and harmonise the large exposures regime. This report will support the Commission in its review of the large exposures framework as part of the overall CRR review.

On 18 November 2016, from 13.00 to 16.00 UK time, the European Banking Authority (EBA) will be holding a public hearing to outline its draft proposals on the European covered bond framework. The hearing comes as a follow-up to the recommendation by the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) and ahead of the expected publication of the final report by end of 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) responded today to the European Commission’s call for technical advice on the criteria to identify the class of investment firms for which the prudential regime laid down in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) and Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) is applicable. In general, the EBA recommends that only those investment firms that are currently identified as Other Systemically Important Institutions (OSIIs) remain subject to the full CRD/CRR regime.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its detailed annual work programme for 2017, describing the specific activities and tasks of the Authority for the coming year, as well as a multiannual work programme, highlighting the key strategic areas of work in the coming years (from 2017 to 2020).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a reminder to competent authorities of the key dates for the submission of data for the 2017 benchmarking exercise for internal approaches for credit and market risk. This would ensure a smooth and timely start of the exercise although the Commission’s endorsement of the amended version of the Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on benchmarking of internal approaches for running the 2017 exercise is still pending.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on corrections to modified duration for debt instruments. The objective of these Guidelines is to establish what type of adjustments to the modified duration (MD) - as defined according to the formulas in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) - have to be performed in order to appropriately reflect the effect of the prepayment risk. The Guidelines will contribute towards the successful implementation of the Commission's securitisation package under the Capital Markets Union reform, giving clarity on the matter to credit institutions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) updated today the list of closely correlated currencies that was originally published in December 2013 and updated in May 2015. The list is part of the implementing technical standards (ITS) that were drafted for the purposes of calculating the capital requirements for foreign-exchange risk according to the standardised rules. The list was updated according to the procedure and methodology laid down in the ITS.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on the assessment of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) risk in the context of the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP). These draft Guidelines are addressed to competent authorities and aim at promoting common procedures and methodologies for the assessment of ICT risk.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on implicit support for securitisation transactions. The objective of these Guidelines is to clarify what constitutes arm’s length conditions and to specify when a transaction is not structured to provide support for securitisations. The Guidelines will contribute towards the successful implementation of the Commission’s securitisation package under the Capital Markets Union reform, giving clarity on the matter to credit institutions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the periodic update of its Risk Dashboard. This report summarises the main risks and vulnerabilities in the banking sector by the evolution of a set of Risk Indicators (RI) across the EU in Q2 2016. The update shows an increase in EU banks’ capital ratios, while the low profitability and the high level of NPLs remain a concern.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines specifying the application of the definition of default across the EU and its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the materiality threshold of past due credit obligations. The EBA also released the results of a quantitative and qualitative impact study (QIS) aimed at assessing the impact on the regulatory capital requirements of selected policy options to harmonise the definition of default used by EU institutions. Both the Guidelines and the final draft RTS will harmonise the definition of default across the EU, thus contributing to improving consistency and comparability of capital requirements.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on remuneration policies and practices related to the provision and sale of retail banking products and services. The EBA had previously identified poor remuneration policies and practices as a key driver of miss-selling of financial products and services. The Guidelines aim, therefore, to protect consumers from related risks and to reduce conduct costs for financial institutions. They will apply from 18 January 2018.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the procedures, forms and templates that Competent Authorities in the EU should use when consulting each other on qualifying holdings. The objective of these ITS is to streamline information exchanges and ensure effective communications between concerned authorities, both on a cross-border basis and across sectors.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a consultation paper on draft technical standards setting out the standardised terminology for services linked to a payment account, the standardised format and common symbol of both the fee information document (FID) and the statement of fees (SoF).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on the criteria Competent Authorities should consider when stipulating the minimum monetary amount of the professional indemnity insurance (PII) or comparable guarantee for payment initiation and account information service providers under the revised Payment Service Directive (PSD2).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its tenth report of the CRDIV-CRR/Basel III monitoring exercise on the European banking system. This exercise, run in parallel with the one conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) at a global level, presents aggregate data on capital ratios – risk-based and non-risk-based (leverage) – and liquidity ratios – the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and net stable funding ratio (NSFR) – for banks across the European Union (EU). It summarises the results using data as of 31 December 2015.

The three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA, ESMA - ESAs), published today their Opinion addressed to the European Commission expressing disagreement with its proposed amendments to the final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on risk mitigation techniques for OTC derivatives not cleared by a central counterparty, which were originally submitted for endorsement on 8 March 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report analysing the core funding ratio across the EU. The Report is in response to a request from the European Commission to explore the possibilities of the core stable funding ratio (CFR) as a potential alternative metrics for the assessment of EU banks’ funding risk, taking into account proportionality. The Report concludes that, overall, it would be misleading to rely only on the CFR to assess banks’ funding needs because, unlike the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR), the CFR does not look at the whole balance sheet of a bank and, therefore, cannot fully assess a potential funding gap. This Report is based on the same QIS data used for the NSFR Report published in December 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its third updated list of capital instruments that Competent Supervisory Authorities (CAs) across the European Union (EU) have classified as Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1). Since the publication of the previous update in October 2015, some new CET1 instruments have been assessed and evaluated as compliant with the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). The list will be maintained and updated on a regular basis.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Consultation Paper on draft technical standards on strong customer authentication and common and secure communication under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). These technical standards will ensure appropriate levels of security, while at the same time maintaining fair competition between all payment service providers and allowing for the development of user-friendly, accessible and innovative means of payment.

In an Opinion issued today, the EBA welcomed the Commission’s proposal to bring virtual currency exchange platforms and custodian wallet providers within the scope of the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive. The Authority also makes several recommendations aimed at supporting the consistent pan-EU implementation and supervision of the proposals that the Commission had published on 5 July 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the outcome of a review of its Single Rulebook Q&As, which provides an overview of possible errors, inconsistencies as well as fundamental issues in relation to the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) observed via the Single Rulebook Q&A tool managed by the ЕВА.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today indicators from 36 large institutions in the EU, as provided for in the Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) and Guidelines on disclosure rules applicable to institutions whose leverage ratio exposure measure exceeds 200 billion Euro.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an amended version, submitted to the EU Commission, of its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on benchmarking of internal approaches, for running the 2017 exercise . The amended ITS will assist Competent Authorities in their 2017 assessment of internal approaches both for credit risk, and for market risk.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its report on the impact assessment and calibration of the Leverage Ratio (LR), recommending the introduction of a LR minimum requirement in the EU to mitigate the risk of excessive leverage. The analysis suggests that the potential impact of introducing a LR requirement of 3% on the provision of financing by credit institutions would be relatively moderate, while, overall, it should lead to more stable credit institutions. The report will inform the work of the European Commission on potential legislative proposals on LR.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a list of designated Resolution Authorities. Under the EU framework, each Member State has to designate one or, exceptionally, more Resolution Authorities that are empowered to apply the resolution tools and the resolution powers.

- From a starting point of 13.2% CET1, the stress test demonstrates the resilience of the EU banking sector to an adverse scenario with an impact of 380 bps CET1 on average - The stress test does not contain a pass/fail threshold. It will instead inform supervisors' ongoing review of banks and guide their efforts to maintain capital in the system and support the ongoing repair of balance sheets - Exceptional transparency is provided, with over 16 000 data points per bank, to foster market discipline

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the requirements with which payment card schemes and processing entities must comply to ensure the independence of their accounting, organisation, and decision-making processes. These final draft RTS aim at facilitating greater competition among processing services providers, supporting the general objective of the Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR) to create a Single Market for card payments across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on criteria for the application of a preferential treatment in cross-border intragroup credit or liquidity lines, or within an IPS. These RTS further specify the additional criteria listed in the in the context of the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) Delegated Act for the application of the preferential treatment.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an example of the transparency templates, which will be used to disclose the results of the upcoming 2016 EU-wide stress test. These templates are provided for information and to facilitate understanding of the format and type of data that can be expected on Friday 29 July.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Guidelines on credit institutions’ credit risk management practices and accounting for expected credit losses; it follows the publication of Guidance by the Basel Committee in December 2015 on the same matter. These Guidelines aim at ensuring sound credit risk management practices associated with the implementation and on-going application of the accounting for expected credit losses. The consultation will run until 26 October 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on the treatment of connected clients for large exposures. These draft Guidelines review and update the ‘Guidelines on the implementation of the revised large exposures regime’ issued by the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS) on 11 December 2009. Their focus is exclusively on the issue of connected clients as defined in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and they reflect the developments in the area of shadow banking and large exposures both at EU and international level. The consultation runs until 26 October 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on the communication between competent authorities supervising credit institutions and statutory auditors of those institutions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched a consultation on its report on the reference point for the target level of national resolution financing arrangements. The appropriateness of the basis for the target level is assessed on the basis of a number of qualitative criteria and historical data. The draft report recommends changing the basis from covered deposits to a total liabilities based measure. The consultation will run until 2 September 2016.

The EBA today issued a report on recent trends in asset quality in the EU banking sector. The analysis is based on supervisory data on non-performing loans (NPLs) and forbearance (FBL) for over 160 EU banks. The report shows that despite improvements NPLs remain high, with associated implications for the economy and bank’s profitability. The report identifies various structural impediments to addressing NPLs and sets out three key areas for improvement.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the assessment methodology competent authorities shall follow in assessing the compliance of an institution with the requirements for the use of the Internal Ratings Based Approach (IRB Approach). The purpose of these RTS is to harmonise the supervisory assessment methodology with respect to the IRB Approach across all Member States in the European Union (EU).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has launched today a public consultation on its interim report on the implementation and design of the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL). The interim report is addressed to the European Commission, and it will inform a future legislative proposal on the implementation of the Financial Stability Board’s “total loss-absorbing capacity” (TLAC) standard in the EU and the review of MREL. Further elements will be covered in the EBA’s final report which will be provided to the European Commission by 31 October 2016.

The EBA announced today that detailed individual results for the banks participating in the 2016 EU-wide stress test, along with detailed balance sheets and exposure data as of end 2015, will be published on Friday 29 July 2016 at 22:00 Central European Summer Time (21:00 British Summer Time).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a data collection aimed at supporting the response to the European Commission's Call for Advice on a new prudential framework for MifiD (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) investment firms, which should be less complex, more risk sensitive and more proportionate than the current regime.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its second annual Report on the convergence of supervisory practices across the EU. The Report, which is addressed to the EU Parliament and the Council, reviews consistency in the application of the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP) and supervisory practices in the assessment of recovery plans. The EBA’s work in supervisory convergence is designed to foster comparable approaches and consistent outcomes in applying the Single Rulebook. This is necessary for a level playing field, effective supervision of cross border groups, and to identify supervisory best practices.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a draft update of its report on the monitoring of Additional Tier 1 (AT1) instruments last published on 29 May 2015 and proposed draft standardised templates for AT1 instruments

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued a benchmarking analysis of diversity practices at EU level showing that only a limited number of institutions have already adopted a diversity policy. In particular, the report highlights that the actual level of diversity in the composition of the management body in institutions differs significantly between Member States, namely regarding the gender diversity. The Authority calls on institutions and Member States to consider additional measures for promoting a more balanced representation of both genders. The report is based on data from 873 institutions from 29 EU and EEA Member States, and covers credit institutions of different sizes as well as investment firms.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the periodical update of its Risk Dashboard summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector on the basis of a set of Risk Indicators in Q1 2016. Together with the Risk Dashboard, the EBA published, for the first time, the results of a Risk Assessment Questionnaire, which it conducted with banks and market analysts in April and May this year.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) announced today that it will be conducting a transparency exercise in December 2016 on a wide sample of over 100 banks, which will provide actual information on banks’ balance sheet based on supervisory reporting data. Transparency exercises are an annual feature of the EBA’s work but this year’s exercise will be independent from, whilst complementary to, the 2016 EU-wide stress test. This will ensure appropriate coverage of banks across all countries in the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a comparative Report on governance arrangements and indicators in recovery plans. Such a benchmarking exercise is aimed at supporting supervisors and institutions in identifying the crucial elements that should be considered when designing credible governance arrangements and effective indicator frameworks. This is the third thematic comparative analysis the EBA has conducted in the area of recovery planning.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its second analysis of the level of asset encumbrance across EU banking institutions. The report, which is part of a regular annual monitoring of asset encumbrance, aims to provide important elements for EU supervisors to assess the sustainability of banks’ funding sources and their ability to withstand funding stress.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today additional information on how the results of the EU-wide stress test will inform the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP). The focus of today’s update is to explain how additional “capital guidance” can be used as a tool to address the quantitative outcomes of the stress test. Such guidance will not be relevant for the Maximum Distributable Amount (MDA), but will ensure banks’ ability to meet applicable capital requirements under stressed conditions. While serving the purpose of helping supervisors manage expectations towards banks and market participants, the information released today does not establish restrictions or constraints on existing supervisory powers.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on a set of Guidelines on regulatory disclosure requirements following an update of the Pillar 3 requirements by the Basel Committee in January 2015. These Guidelines are part of the EBA’s work to improve and enhance the consistency and comparability of institutions’ disclosures and aim to ensure market discipline. The consultation runs until 29 September 2016.

At its meeting held on 22 June 2016, the Banking Stakeholder Group of the European Banking Authority elected Santiago Fernandez de Lis, representing the credit and investment institutions, as Chairperson and Alin Eugen Iacob, representing the users of banking services, as Vice-Chairperson.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its fifth annual Consumer Trends Report, which provides an overview of the trends observed in 2016, the issues that will or could have an impact on consumers and other market participants and the areas where the EBA may take any action, if needed. The report covers all the products that fall into the EBA’s consumer protection mandate, such as mortgages, personal loans, deposits, payment accounts, payment services and electronic money.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today its 2015 Annual Report, which provides a detailed account of all the work the Authority achieved in the past year and anticipates the key areas of focus in the coming years.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying how institutions should take into account and treat several factors when assigning risk weights to specialised lending exposures. The purpose of these RTS is to harmonise the assignment of risk weights to specialised lending exposures for institutions that apply the so called ‘supervisory slotting criteria’ approach. These final draft RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in Europe.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its Decision on data for supervisory benchmarking. This Decision comes after the publication of the amended technical standards on benchmarking of internal approaches and requires Competent Authorities to submit data for the 2016 benchmarking exercise, focusing on High Default Portfolios and with reference to end-2015 data.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA, ESMA - ESAs) is pleased to announce the launch of its dedicated website. The new website presents information and news about the cross-sectoral work of the three ESAs.

On 31 May 2016, the European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Investment Bank Group (European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund) hosted a seminar to discuss opportunities and challenges on the role and potential use of credit guarantees and synthetic securitisation in the banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) welcomes the enhancement of the FX Global Code (the Code) and the publication of its May 2016 update. The objective of the Code is to promote the integrity and effective functioning of the wholesale FX market. The Code’s guidelines for responsible participation in the FX market are in line with the EBA’s work fostering financial institutions’ effective governance and enhanced consumer protection in all areas of financial products and services.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on stress tests for deposit guarantee schemes (DGSs). The Guidelines provide a systematic methodology for planning, running and reporting on stress tests conducted by DGSs to assess their resilience to various types of scenarios in times of banking stress. In line with the Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive (DGSD), these Guidelines will promote the quality and the consistency of these stress tests. The resulting data will also facilitate future peer reviews by the EBA, contributing to a safe and sound EU framework for the benefit of depositors and financial stability.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Decision confirming the use of unsolicited credit assessments assigned by certain External Credit Assessment Institutions (ECAIs) for calculating institutions’ capital requirements. The Decision is part of the Single Rulebook in banking and will ensure regulatory harmonisation across the European Union (EU) regarding the use of unsolicited credit ratings for determining institutions’ own funds requirements.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA, ESMA - ESAs) published today its Opinion on the European Commission’s (EC) intention to amend the draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the mapping of External Credit Assessment Institutions’ (ECAIs) credit assessments under the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and Solvency II Directive. The Opinion was produced in response to the EC’s proposed amendments to these draft ITS.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion to the European Commission expressing agreement with its proposed amendments to the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on benchmarking of internal approaches. These amendments, which were agreed with the EBA building on the experience of the 2014-15 benchmarking exercise, aim at ensuring a better quality of the submitted data and, ultimately, at strengthening the benchmarking analysis performed by the EBA and Competent Authorities. The EBA plans to annually update the ITS and to maintain them on a regular basis to ensure the success and quality of future benchmarking exercises.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) disclosure. These Guidelines harmonise and specify both the qualitative and quantitative information that institutions are required to disclose on liquidity and namely on the LCR. The consultation will run until 11 August 2016.

The EBA has received another notification from the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (the Central Bank of Hungary) related to the application of the sale of business tool in the ongoing resolution process of MKB Bank Zrt.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a guidance document to assist competent authorities in compiling IMF Financial Soundness Indicators (FSI) for deposit takers using statistical input derived from the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. Authorities are encouraged to use this guidance and the comprehensive mapping between the FSI forms and the EBA ITS templates to foster harmonised FSI reporting by the EEA authorities. In addition, it provides transparency to FSI users on how they have been computed for EEA countries.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Discussion Paper on innovative uses of consumer data by financial institutions, in line with its mandate to monitor financial innovation. The paper identifies risks and benefits for consumers and financial institutions, as well as for financial integrity in general. Feedback received on this Discussion Paper will inform the EBA’s decision on which, if any, further actions may be required to mitigate the risks arising from this innovation, while also allowing market participants to harness its benefits.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today corrective updates to two versions of its XBRL taxonomies for supervisory reporting, correcting technical errors in the implementation of some validation rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion to the European Commission supporting its proposed amendment to the draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on additional collateral outflows with regard to the historical look-back approach (HLBA) calculation method. The amendment follows the European Commission’s request to amend the draft RTS using the specifications provided by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the disclosure of encumbered and unencumbered assets for the provision of transparent and harmonised information on the topic, as laid down in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). These draft RTS, which build on the EBA Guidelines on the same topic, detail the disclosure requirements and provide additional information. The consultation will run until 25 July 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the first list of Other Systemically Important Institutions (O-SIIs) in the EU. O-SIIs are those institutions which are deemed systemically relevant in addition to Global Systemically Important Institutions (G-SIIs), already identified. The institutions have been identified by relevant authorities across the Union according to harmonised criteria provided by the EBA. This list reflects also the additional capital buffers that the relevant authorities have set for the O-SIIs they have identified.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines defining how confidential information collected under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) should be disclosed in summary or collective form without identifying individual institutions or relevant entities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued its Banking Stakeholder Group (BSG) end of term of office report. The document covers the outputs of the BSG for the second term of the Membership whose appointment fell between October 2013 and 15 April 2016, as well as information on its working methodology and its interaction with the EBA.

The EBA has received an additional notification from the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (the Central Bank of Hungary) related to the application of the sale of business tool in the ongoing resolution process of MKB Bank Zrt.

Following an open selection process, the Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority (EBA) appointed 23 new members to its Banking Stakeholder Group (BSG), as the mandate for the majority of them expired on 14 April 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its Opinion setting out measures credit and financial institutions can take to comply with EU Anti- Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT) requirements when providing asylum seekers from higher-risk jurisdictions with access to basic financial products and services.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report analysing measures taken by Competent Authorities in 2014 to ensure compliance by institutions with securitisation risk retention, due diligence and disclosure requirements. Based on the EBA findings, the EBA has identified best practices, which will help Competent Authorities in their supervisory assessments of compliance of these requirements.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a call for research papers in view of its fifth policy research workshop taking place on 28-29 November 2016 in London on the topic ‘Competition in banking: implications for financial regulation and supervision’.

The EBA has received a notification from the Austrian Financial Market Authority (Finanzmarktaufsicht, FMA), in its capacity as Resolution Authority, in relation to the application of resolution measures to Heta Asset Resolution AG.

On 31 May 2016, the European Banking Authority (EBA), jointly with the European Investment Bank Group (European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund), will host a seminar at the EBA premises to discuss opportunities and challenges on the role and potential use of credit guarantees and synthetic securitisation in the banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the periodical update of its Risk Dashboard summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the banking sector on the basis of the evolution of a set of Risk Indicators (RI) across the EU in Q4 2015. The update shows a further increase in EU banks’ capital ratios. Profitability remains low and NPL ratios are still high.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft amending Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on credit valuation adjustment (CVA) proxy spread. These RTS propose limited amendments to Commission’s Delegated Regulation (EU) No 526/2014 based on two policy recommendations contained in the EBA’s CVA report published on 25 February 2015. Through the proposed amendments the EBA expects to ensure a more adequate calculation of own funds requirements for CVA risk. The consultation runs until 06 July 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) report on remuneration practices published today shows that the number of high earners in EU banks increased significantly in 2014, while the average ratio between the variable and fixed remuneration dropped significantly for high earners, as well as for all other identified staff. The report, which is part of the regular activities of the Authority, focuses on the identification of staff, the application of deferral arrangements, the pay-out in instruments and the impact of the bonus cap on institutions financial stability and cost flexibility, which was found to have no significant effect. The report differentiates between data on the remuneration of “high-earners” and benchmarking data for “identified staff”.

The EBA has received a notification from Finansiel Stabilitet (Danish Resolution Authority) in respect of the sale of Andelskassen J.A.K. Slagelse, an institution that was put under its control in the context of the application of resolution measures.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on reporting financial information using Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP) across EU jurisdictions. This is a decentralised public consultation, which takes place through National Competent Authorities across the EU and not through the EBA, so as to allow for a better informed discussion on questions that may be specific to the individual jurisdictions across the EU. All interested stakeholders can provide feedback directly to their National Competent Authorities (NCAs) by 15 April 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which analyses (i) the evolution of lending trends and conditions for SMEs, (ii) the effective riskiness of EU SMEs over a full economic cycle and (iii) the consistency of own funds requirements laid down in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) for credit risk on exposures to SMEs. Overall, the results of the EBA analysis show limited effectiveness of the SME Supporting Factor (SF). However, more data is needed before drawing firm conclusions and, therefore, the EBA recommends continued monitoring of the application of the SF.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Guidelines on corrections to modified duration for debt instruments. These Guidelines aim to establish what type of adjustments to the modified duration (MD) - as defined according to the formulas in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) - have to be performed in order to appropriately reflect the effect of the prepayment risk. The consultation runs until 22 June 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Decision specifying the formula to be used by creditors when calculating the benchmark rate under the Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD). The MCD requires creditors to use, under certain circumstances, a benchmark rate specified by the EBA for the illustrative examples in the European Standardised Information Sheet (ESIS) for variable rate mortgages. The EBA formula will apply 20 days after its publication in the EU Official Journal but can also be used by creditors prior to its formal publication.

The EBA submitted on Friday its response to the European Commission’s Green Paper on Retail Financial Services. In the response, the EBA conveys the views of its member authorities on a subset of the questions asked in the Green Paper, with a particular focus on the risks and opportunities of digital services in the banking sector and the enforcement of consumer protection regulation in the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be formally validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA, ESMA - ESAs) published today the final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) outlining the framework of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a revised XBRL taxonomy that Competent Authorities should use for the remittance of data under the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The revised taxonomy will be used for reference dates from 31 December 2016 onwards.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a corrective update (2.4.1) to the XBRL taxonomy that Competent Authorities shall use for the remittance of data under the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The revised taxonomy will be used for the first reports under the revised Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) and Leverage Ratio (LR) requirements resulting from Delegated Acts of the European Commission.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on the inclusion of prudent valuation into COREP, the reporting framework through which EU banking institutions report supervisory information. The amendments proposed by the EBA reflect the prudent valuation requirements in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 2016/101. This public consultation will run until 30 March 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its ninth report of the CRDIV-CRR/Basel III monitoring exercise on the European banking system. This exercise, run in parallel with the one conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) at a global level, allows the gathering of aggregate results on capital – risk-based and non-risk-based (leverage) ratios – and liquidity ratios – the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and net stable funding ratio (NSFR) – for banks in the European Union (EU). It summarises the results using data as of 30 June 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published its annual assessment of EU colleges of supervisors, the forum within which joint decisions on capital and liquidity and recovery plans are organised for EU cross border banking groups. The report assesses how colleges have functioned during 2015 and identifies key activities for the effective oversight of EU cross border banking groups in 2016. In addition, it draws the attention of supervisors to some specific items for 2016, including non-performing loans (NPLs) and balance sheet cleaning, business model sustainability, conduct risk and IT risk.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion following the notification by the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) of its intention to extend a measure introduced by the NBB in 2014 to modify capital requirements in order to address an increase in macroprudential or systemic risk. Based on the evidence submitted by the NBB, the EBA does not object the deployment of the macroprudential measures to address this issue.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) released today the methodology and macroeconomic scenarios for the 2016 EU-wide stress test. The stress test is designed to provide supervisors, banks and other market participants with a common analytical framework to consistently compare and assess the resilience of EU banks to economic shocks. For this exercise, no single capital thresholds have been defined as the results will inform the 2016 round of Supervisory Review and Evaluation Processes (SREP) under which decisions are made on appropriate capital resources. The EBA expects to publish the results of the exercise in early Q3 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the periodical update to its Risk Dashboard summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the banking sector on the basis of the evolution of a set of Risk Indicators (RI) across the EU. The dashboard is based on a larger sample of banks (154 institutions on a consolidated basis ) and the “Statistical Annex” provides further data on EU banks. The ratios published in the Dashboard are computed according to the “Methodological guide on risk indicators and detailed risk analysis tools”, also published today.

The EBA has received a notification from the Bank of Italia, in its capacity as the Resolution Authority, in relation to the application of resolution measures to the Banca delle Marche, Banca Popolare dell’Etruria e del Lazio, Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara and Cassa di Risparmio della Provincia di Chieti.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) will formally launch the 2016 EU-wide stress test on Wednesday 24 February 2016 at 5pm. Along with the announcement, the EBA will publish the common methodology and macroeconomic scenarios for this exercise.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on cooperation agreements between deposit guarantee schemes (DGSs). These Guidelines include a multilateral cooperation framework agreement and minimum prescriptions to promote the rapid and consistent conclusion of cooperation agreements between DGSs, as provided under the new Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive (DGSD).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the mapping of External Credit Assessment Institutions’ (ECAIs) credit assessments for securitisation positions. These ITS will be part of the Single Rulebook in banking aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation across the European Union (EU) and will allow the credit ratings on securitisations assigned by registered credit rating agencies to be used for the purposes of calculating institutions’ capital requirements.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion to the European Commission expressing its dissent over some of its proposed amendments to the EBA final draft Regulatory Technical Standard (RTS) on the criteria for setting the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) and encouraging the prompt adoption of the standard.

Andrea Enria, Chairperson of the EBA, in his opening remarks at the EBA’s 5th Anniversary Conference, touched on the EBA’s achievements in the last five years and the challenges that still lie ahead for the Authority.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion specifying the general principles and timelines for the implementation of the regulatory review of the internal ratings-based (IRB) approach. The aim of the Opinion is to provide guidance and clarity to both Competent Authorities and institutions on the planned review and its implementation. The Opinion is supported by a Report, which summarises the feedback received from the public consultation on the EBA discussion paper on the future of the IRB approach.

As the European Banking Authority (EBA) gets ready to mark its first five years of activities with its conference in London this Friday, Chairperson Andrea Enria explains the conference will be about dialogue with banking stakeholders on achievements and remaining challenges in strengthening the EU banking sector.

In the context of the forthcoming implementation of the IFRS 9 Financial instruments standard (IFRS 9) in the EU, the European Banking Authority (EBA) is launching an impact assessment of the standard on a sample of approximately 50 institutions across the EU.

The Chairpersons of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) – EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – sent a joint letter on cross-selling of financial products to Jonathan Hill, the European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union.

The Joint Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs – European Banking Authority, European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, and European Securities and Markets Authority) published today its decision in an appeal brought by four appellants, Andrus Kluge, Boris Belyaev, Radio Elektroniks OÜ and Timur Dyakov, against a decision of the European Banking Authority (EBA). The Board of Appeal decided it does not have any jurisdiction with respect to the party’s appeal to challenge a decision by the EBA not to commence an investigation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Guidelines on implicit support for securitisation transactions. The objective of the Guidelines is to provide clarity on what constitutes arm’s length conditions and when a transaction is not structured to provide support for securitisations. The consultation runs until 20 April 2016.

On 19 February 2016 from 14:00 to 16:00, the European Banking Authority (EBA) will hold a public hearing on the consultation launched on its draft technical standards on the separation of payment card schemes and processing entities under the Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today revised final draft technical standards and Guidelines on the further specification of the indicators of global systemic importance and their disclosure. The need for this revision was prompted by the new data template and some minor changes introduced by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) in January 2015 for the identification of global systemically important banks (G-SIBs). The full data template with the detailed specification of the indicator values will now only be incorporated in the EBA Guidelines and will be updated on an annual basis.

The EBA has received a notification from the Bank of Greece, in its capacity as the Resolution Authority, in relation to the application of resolution measures to the Cooperative Bank of Peloponnese Coop Ltd, following the withdrawal of its license.

The EBA acknowledges updated notification from the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (the Central Bank of Hungary) with respect to its decisions on the application of the asset separation tool and related resolution measures in the ongoing resolution process of MKB Bank Zrt.

The EBA has received a notification from Banco de Portugal on the completion of the resolution of Banco Espírito Santo through the re-transfer of five senior bonds from Novo Banco to Banco Espírito Santo.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft guidelines on remuneration policies and practices related to the sale and provision of retail banking products and services. The EBA has identified poor remuneration policies and practices as a key driver of miss-selling of financial products and services. The Guidelines are aimed at protecting consumers and reducing conduct costs of firms. The consultation runs until 22 March 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its eighth semi-annual report on risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector. The report shows that EU banks have continued to strengthen their capital position and to improve asset quality. However, the level of non-performing exposures remains high and profitability is still weak. The report also analyses the exposures towards emerging market (EM) countries and non-bank financial intermediaries.

The European Banking Authority (EBA), following requests from stakeholders, published today an update on the application date of its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on benchmarking portfolios.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on sound remuneration policies together with its Opinion on proportionality, recommending exemptions from the remuneration principles in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD IV). The guidelines ensure that institutions calculate correctly and consistently the so called ‘bonus cap’ by setting out specific criteria for mapping all remuneration components into either fixed or variable pay and detailing how specific remuneration elements such as allowances, sign-on bonuses, retention bonuses and severance pay are to be recognised over time.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on stress testing. These Guidelines set out expectations for institutions’ stress testing programmes and seek improvements by drawing on lessons from previous stress test exercises. In addition, they aim at promoting convergence of the use of stress testing in the context of the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP). The consultation runs until 18 March 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion on the trigger, calculation and transparency of the Maximum Distributable Amount (MDA). The Opinion clarifies that the MDA should be calculated taking into account both minimum (Pillar 1) and additional (Pillar 2) capital requirements which should be met at all times, as well as the combined buffer requirement. The Opinion is designed to support the consistent application of distribution restrictions laid down in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) in order to promote a level playing field across the Single Market, and to give greater certainty for banks’ capital planning needs. It also calls for transparency in Pillar 2 outcomes for all banks, with a view to providing clarity for investors in banks. The Opinion advises the European Commission to review the CRD text in the future to ensure certainty and more consistency.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a report summarising the findings of its analysis and market practice assessment of the synthetic securitisation market. The EBA supports the limited extension of the prudential treatment granted to simple, standardised and transparent securitisations (STS) to banks that originate and retain certain SME balance sheet synthetic securitisation positions, as in the Commission’s legislative proposal on securitisation. The EBA advises on the criteria that should determine eligibility of balance sheet synthetic transactions, specifying, among others, under which conditions originator banks may transfer the risk of eligible transactions to public or private investors.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on detailed records of financial contracts. These RTS have been developed within the framework established by the EU bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) and further specify the minimum set of the information on financial contracts that should be contained in detailed records and the circumstances under which the requirement to maintain such detailed records should be imposed. These standards are part of the EBA's work to implement the BRRD and address the problem of too-big-to-fail banks.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the content of business reorganisation plans and progress reports, as well as guidelines defining how to assess plans. The work has been developed within the framework established by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD), which sets procedures for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions, investment firms and related entities across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the methodology for the valuation of derivative liabilities for the purpose of bail-in in resolution. These standards, which have been developed within the framework of the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) setting procedures for the orderly management of bank failures, provide EU resolution authorities with a methodology for the valuation of derivative liabilities of credit institutions placed under resolution and ensure that the discipline brought in by the new bail-in tool can effectively be extended to these liabilities too.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its report on the impact assessment and calibration of the Net Stable funding Ratio (NSFR), recommending the introduction of the NSFR in the EU to ensure stable funding structures. The analysis did not find strong statistical evidence of significant negative impacts of the NSFR on bank lending, financial assets markets or trading book positions. The EBA also explained that certain EU specificities should be taken into account. The report will inform the work of the European Commission on potential legislative proposals on NSFR.

The European Parliament (EP) confirmed today the extension of the mandate of Andrea Enria as Chairperson of the European Banking Authority (EBA) until February 2021. The confirmation follows a public hearing held at the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) of the European Parliament.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on prudential requirements for Central Securities Depositories (CSDs). These RTS will define a prudential framework for CSDs and harmonise calculations for their capital requirements which currently vary across Member States. These RTS have been developed within the framework of the Central Securities Depositories Regulation (CSDR) to increase the safety and efficiency of securities settlement and settlement infrastructures.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines regarding limits on institutions’ exposures to ‘shadow banking entities’ that carry out bank-like activities outside a regulated framework. In particular, these Guidelines introduce an approach that will allow EU institutions to set internal limits for their exposures to ‘shadow banking entities’, hence addressing in a proportionate way the risks that these exposures pose to the EU banking sector. The Guidelines were informed by a Report, also published today, on the exposures of a sample of EU institutions to ‘shadow banking entities’ and the impact of setting limits.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report and an Opinion on the application of legal provisions on cooperation and information sharing between EU and non-EU supervisory authorities. The objective of this report is to identify any issues and areas of improvement and to propose legislative changes, where needed, to better facilitate prudential supervision of institutions on a cross-border basis.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) that specify the conditions under which competent authorities assess the significance of positions included in the scope of market risk internal models, as well as the methodology that competent authorities shall apply to assess an institution’s compliance with the requirements to use an Internal Model Approach (IMA) for market risk. These draft RTS are a key component of the EBA's work to ensure consistency in models outputs and comparability of risk-weighted exposures and will contribute to harmonise the supervisory assessment methodology across all EU Member States. The consultation runs until 13 March 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its report in response to the European Commission’s call for advice on the suitability of certain aspects of the prudential regime for investment firms. This report, done in consultation with the European Securities Market Authority (ESMA), presents the EBA’s findings and lists a series of recommendations aiming to provide a more proportionate and less complex prudential regime for investment firms, based on appropriate risk sensitivity parameters.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Guidelines on the collection of information related to the internal capital adequacy assessment process (ICAAP) and the internal liquidity adequacy assessment process (ILAAP). These draft Guidelines aim at facilitating the consistent approach to the supervisory assessment of ICAAP and ILAAP frameworks as well as the assessment of reliability of institutions’ own capital and liquidity estimates as part of the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP) following the criteria and methodologies specified in the EBA Guidelines on common procedures and methodologies for SREP. The public consultation runs until 11 March 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft technical standards on the framework for cooperation and exchange of information between competent authorities for passporting under Article 28(5) of the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The technical standards will ensure that information about those payment institutions that carry out business in one or more EU Member States is exchanged consistently between the national authorities of the home and host Member States. The consultation runs until 11 March 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be formally validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Discussion Paper on strong customer authentication and secure communication. The revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) will mandate the EBA to deliver Regulatory Technical Standards on this topic, which the EBA is required to deliver by January 2017. Prior to starting the development of these requirements, the EBA is issuing a Discussion Paper, with a view to obtaining early input into the development process. Responses can be submitted until 8 February 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft technical standards on the separation of payment card schemes and processing entities under Article 7(6) of the Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR). The technical standards introduce specific requirements related to the independence of payment card schemes and processing entities. The consultation runs until 8 March 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a comparative report on the approaches taken by a sample of European banking groups on scenarios in recovery plans. This benchmarking exercise is aimed at supporting national competent authorities and institutions by providing them with an overview of how scenarios included in recovery plans have been developed so far.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on the reporting of financial information for institutions using IFRS (FINREP IFRS). The proposed amendments follow the finalisation of IFRS 9 by the IASB in July 2014 and aim at collecting early industry views on changes that IFRS 9 would trigger to FINREP. This consultation is distinct from the on-going IFRS 9 endorsement process and does not relate to financial information reported by institutions using national generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP). The consultation will run until 8 March 2016.

Following a workshop on cloud services in the banking sector jointly hosted with the European Banking Authority (EBA) in London, the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) has issued a report including a number of recommendations for the secure adoption of cloud computing in the banking sector at the EU level.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) – EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – has launched a Discussion Paper on automation in financial advice, aimed at assessing what, if any, action is required to harness the potential benefits of this innovation and mitigate its risks.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) released today a report reviewing the publication by competent authorities, on an anonymous basis, of administrative penalties imposed for breach of the national provisions transposing the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) or of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). The report also includes links to the websites of competent authorities where such sanctions are published and makes recommendations to enhance harmonisation in terms of disclosure and facilitate access to information. The EBA also published a list of links to each competent authority’s publication of such administrative penalties, which will be updated on a regular basis.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) released today its assessment of the annual Pillar 3 reports of a sample of European banks, which relate to the 2014 financial year. This is the first report since the entry into force of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) that assesses banks’ compliance against the disclosure requirements laid down in CRR.

The transparency exercise data published by the European Banking Authority (EBA) on 24 November 2015 contained information regarding the ‘fully loaded’ CET1 ratio’ for all EU banks in the sample. This ratio, which was published for information only, is calculated using existing supervisory reporting data. The EBA has been alerted that there was an error in the published ‘fully loaded CET1 ratio’ for some banks due to double counting of excess deductions from AT1 capital. The ‘fully loaded CET1 ratio’ for all individual banks published by the EBA has, therefore, been removed from the interactive tool on the website. The aggregate figures in the EBA’s report will be updated accordingly.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the outcome of its 2015 EU-wide transparency exercise and provided detailed bank-by-bank data on capital positions, risk exposure amounts and asset quality on 105 banks from 21 countries of the European Economic Area (EEA) as part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing transparency in the EU Banking sector. The data, which shows improvements in the resilience of the EU banking sector, is published at the highest level of consolidation, covering around 70% of total EU banking assets for the reference dates of 31 December 2014 and 30 June 2015. By disclosing these fully comparable figures in user friendly formats, the EBA aims to promote greater understanding of capital positions and exposures of the EU banking sector and foster market discipline in the Single Market.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) will mark its first five years of activities with a conference on the achievements and remaining challenges in strengthening the banking sector of the European Union (EU) and supporting the effective functioning of the Single Market. The EBA 5th anniversary conference will take place on 5 February 2016 and will be hosted by the Lord Mayor of the City of London in the historical setting of the “Guildhall”. Discussions will benefit from the participation of high level policy makers, industry representatives, academics and other stakeholders from across the EU and beyond.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) related to liquidity requirements for cross-border intragroup financial support under stress conditions. The purpose of these RTS is to specify the additional objective criteria listed in the Delegated Act (Commission Delegated Regulation EU No 2015/61 of 10 October 2014), for the application of a preferential treatment in the calculation of the liquidity coverage requirement (LCR) for cross-border intragroup liquidity flows. The consultation runs until 13 January 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on Guidelines on the treatment of credit value adjustment (CVA) risk under the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP), as well as a data collection exercise for the Quantitative Impact Study (QIS) to calibrate the threshold values. These Guidelines are based on a policy recommendation contained in the EBA’s CVA report and aim to provide a common European approach to the assessment of CVA risk under SREP, including adequacy of capital to cover for this risk, and the determination of any potential additional own funds requirements. The public consultation runs until 12 February 2016 and the data collection exercise should be completed on 28 January 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a follow up report on the actions taken following the publication of its Opinion on the use of allowances, in October 2014, where Competent Authorities were asked to use all necessary supervisory measures to ensure that by 31 December 2014 those institutions using the so called ‘role-based allowances’ adjust their remuneration policies in line with the criteria set out in the Opinion. The follow-up report concluded that Competent Authorities have taken measures in this respect and, where necessary, asked institutions to implement the necessary changes. However, such measures will, in most cases, only be effective for the remuneration awarded for the performance year 2015, while only in few cases were changes to institutions’ remuneration policies and practices already made for the performance year 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a report benchmarking the institutions’ remuneration practices concerning the use of the possibility to increase the maximum ratio between variable and fixed remuneration up to 200%. The Capital Requirements Directive (CRDIV) limits the aforementioned ratio to 100%, unless it is increased following the shareholders’ approval. The report also shows that nearly all Member States have allowed for the possibility to increase the ratio between the two remuneration components to 200% but only institutions in 15 Member States have actually made use of this possibility.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) has published today two draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on credit assessments by External Credit Assessment Institutions (ECAIs). By determining an objective approach for attributing risk weights to the assessments of ECAIs, as well as a prudential approach for those cases lacking factual evidence, these standards will ensure sound credit assessments contributing to financial stability in the EU.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) – EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – has launched its Joint Consultation Paper on PRIIPs Key Information Documents to gather stakeholder views on proposed rules on the content and presentation of the Key Information Documents (KID).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the procedures, forms and templates that competent authorities in the EU should use when consulting each other on qualifying holdings. The objective of these ITS is to streamline information exchanges and ensure effective communications between concerned authorities, both on a cross-border basis and across sectors. This public consultation runs until 10 February 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Guidelines on stress tests of Deposit Guarantee Schemes (DGSs). The proposed Guidelines will provide the methodological principles to assess whether the operational and funding capabilities of DGSs are sufficient to ensure deposit protection in the event of a bank failure. In line with the Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive (DGSD), these Guidelines will promote the quality and the consistency of these stress tests. The resulting data will also facilitate future peer reviews by the EBA, contributing to a safe and sound EU framework for the benefit of depositors and financial stability. The consultation runs until 8 February 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its 2016 EU-wide stress test draft methodology for discussion. The stress test will be formally launched in the first quarter of 2016 and will cover over 70% of the EU banking sector and will assess EU banks’ ability to meet relevant supervisory capital ratios during an adverse economic shock. The results will inform the 2016 Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP), acting as a challenge to banks’ forward looking capital plans. The exercise will also provide market participants with a consistent basis to compare and assess the resilience of EU banks. The list of institutions participating in the exercise is also released today.

In its risk dashboard for the EU banking sector published today, the European Banking Authority (EBA) gives an overview of the health of EU banks for the second quarter of 2015. While capital ratios have increased, the quality of loan portfolios remains weak, but EU banks profitability has increased compared to 2014. The EBA risk dashboard summarises the main risks and vulnerabilities in the banking sector on the basis of the evolution of a set of key risk indicators across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Guidelines on how confidential information collected under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) should be disclosed in summary or collective form without identifying individual institutions or relevant entities. The aim of the Guidelines is to promote symmetric information and convergence of supervisory and resolution practices regarding the disclosure of confidential information. The consultation runs until 27 January 2016.

The EBA published today the final set of templates and instructions that institutions participating in the Quantitative Impact Study (QIS) on the definition of default should complete and submit to their respective Competent Authorities (CAs) by 10 December 2015 at the latest.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with supervisory authorities in six South-Eastern European (SEE) countries, establishing a framework for cooperation and information exchange.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on the communication between competent authorities supervising credit institutions and statutory auditors of those institutions. Effective communication between competent authorities and auditors should contribute to fostering financial stability, safety and soundness of the banking system. The consultation runs until 21 January 2016.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) launched today a public consultation on two anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) Guidelines. These Guidelines promote a common understanding of the risk-based approach to AML/CFT and set out how it should be applied by credit and financial institutions and competent authorities across the EU. The documents are part of the Joint Committee’s work to establish consistent and effective, risk-based supervisory practices across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated list of capital instruments that Competent Supervisory Authorities (CAs) across the European Union (EU) have classified as Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1). Since the publication of the first update of the list in December 2014, some new CET1 instruments have been assessed and evaluated as compliant with the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). This list is compiled in accordance with Article 26 of the CRR and is updated on a regular basis.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published its detailed annual work programme for 2016, describing the specific activities and tasks of the Authority for the coming year, as well as a multiannual work programme, highlighting the key strategic areas of work in the coming years (from 2016 to 2018).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) jointly with the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) hosted a workshop at the EBA premises to discuss opportunities and challenges of using the cloud in the banking sector. This workshop, which brings together supervisory authorities, CISOs from banks, IT and banking industry organisations and large cloud service providers will provide a forum for discussing the current status and potential ways to address supervisory or bank concerns and risks regarding the use of cloud services.

The EBA acknowledges notification from the Croatian National Bank and the State Agency for Deposit Insurance and Bank Resolution with respect to its decision on the resolution of Jadranska banka d.d. Šibenik.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Consultation Paper on its proposed benchmark rate under the Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD), which requires creditors to create two illustrative examples in the European Standardised Information Sheet (ESIS) for variable rate mortgages on the basis of a benchmark rate specified by the EBA. To that end, the EBA has developed a formula to calculate the rate and would now like to hear the views from consumer and industry stakeholders on the approach it is proposing. The consultation runs until 20 November 2015.

In response to requests received from representatives of the industry, the EBA has decided to extend the period for expressing views and comments on the templates and instructions of the Qualitative Impact Assessment (QIS) on the definition of default. Concerned parties can send their comments to EBA-DoD@eba.europa.eu by Monday 19 October 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a call for expression of interest for membership to its Banking Stakeholder Group (BSG), as the mandate for the majority of its members will expire in April 2016. The call for expression of interest is open to candidates representing stakeholders across the European Union. The deadline for application is 15 December 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion on mortgage lending value (MLV) addressed to the European Commission and related to the EBA’s mandate to deliver technical standards harmonising the concept of MLV in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). In this Opinion, the Authority raises concerns about the possible unintended consequence that a harmonised definition of MLV across the CRR might have on the EU covered bonds market.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) published today its Work Programme for the upcoming year. Throughout 2016, the Joint Committee will continue to give high priority to Consumer Protection and Cross-Sectoral Risk Analysis.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its first analysis of asset encumbrance among EU banking institutions. This preliminary analysis will provide important elements for EU supervisors to assess the sustainability of banks funding structures. It shows there is no indication of a general increase in the level of asset encumbrance over recent years across EU banking institutions. The report will be published on a yearly basis in the future, as data quality improves with the full establishment of reporting requirements for asset encumbrance, a key component of risk management policies and decision making processes in the EU banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued an Opinion to the European Commission dissenting to its proposed amendment to remove the maturity ladder from the EBA final draft Implementing Technical Standard (ITS) on additional liquidity monitoring metrics. However, the EBA supports the proposed amendment by the European Commission with regard to the application date of the ITS from 1 July 2015 to 1 January 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines specifying the application of the definition of default. The work is in line with an EBA Discussion Paper on the topic published earlier in the year which described the EBA's upcoming work on improving consistency and comparability in capital requirements. The consultation runs until 22 January 2016 and the EBA is also asking the public for feedback on a Quantitative Impact Assessment (QIS) of the Guidelines.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its eighth report of the Basel III monitoring exercise on the European banking system. This exercise, run in parallel with the one conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) at a global level, allows the gathering of aggregate results on capital ratios and leverage ratio (LR), as well as on liquidity ratios - liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and net stable funding ratio (NSFR) - for banks in the European Union (EU).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) added the Albanian banking supervisor to the list of non-EU or third country supervisory authorities participating in EU banking supervisory colleges. The decision was based on the assessment of the confidentiality regime of Bank of Albania, which was deemed equivalent to the EU confidentiality regime, and follows the prescriptions in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRDIV) on participants in EU colleges of banking supervisors.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be formally validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an update to the XBRL taxonomy that Competent Authorities should use for the remittance of data under the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The new taxonomy will be used for the first reports under the revised Liquidity and Leverage Ratio requirements resulting from Delegated Acts of the European Commission.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) for securities (ESMA), banking (EBA), and insurance and occupational pensions (EIOPA) have today issued their August 2015 Joint Committee Report on Risks and Vulnerabilities in the EU financial system. The joint risk report informs on risks in the EU financial system (banking, securities and insurance sector), with a particular focus on cross-sectoral vulnerabilities and developments.

The Board of Supervisors (BoS) of the European Banking Authority (EBA), the EU agency that brings together the banking supervisors of the 28 EU Member States, confirmed yesterday the extension of the mandates of Andrea Enria and Adam Farkas, respectively as Chairperson and Executive Director of the EBA for a another five year term from 2016 to 2021. The decision was based on the evaluation of the work of the past five years, as well as on work requirements for the coming years. The decision to extend Mr Enria’s term is subject to confirmation by the European Parliament.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a report combining the benchmarking of remuneration practices across the European Union and aggregated data on the remuneration of EU institutions’ staff who received, in total, EUR one million or more in 2013. The analysis focuses, in particular, on the identification of staff, the application of deferral arrangements and the pay out in instruments, as well as on the use of specific remuneration elements, such as guaranteed variable remuneration and severance payments. The report shows that the number of high earners slightly decreased since 2012 and that the ratio between the variable and fixed remuneration paid to identified staff was further reduced in 2013. This report is part of the EBA's work on institutions’ staff remuneration policies aimed at ensuring prudent and sustainable risk taking in the EU banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) informed today that it will incorporate additional analysis into its calibration reports on Net Stable Funding Requirements and Leverage Ratio. The announcement follows a request by the European Commission (EC) to obtain further advice so as to ensure its possible future policy actions in this area are well informed.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today its Opinion on how to define what arrangements should be protected in a partial property transfer in resolution. The Opinion ensures full protection of well-established sources of refinancing such as secured debt, including securities lending and covered bonds, and of means of risk mitigation. The Opinion is issued today in response to a request for advice from the European Commission and it will inform its delegated acts on the classes of arrangements to be protected in a partial transfer of the property of a bank under resolution.

The Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) has ruled against an appeal by Onix Asigurari SA, a Romanian insurer, on a decision by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on passport notifications for mortgage credit intermediaries in support of the transposition of the Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD). The Guidelines will ensure that information about credit intermediaries carrying out business in more than one Member State is exchanged consistently between national authorities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the procedures for excluding transactions with non-financial counterparties (NFCs) established in a third country from the own funds requirement for credit valuation adjustment (CVA) risk. The proposed RTS align the treatment of NFCs established in a third country with the treatment of EU NFCs. The consultation runs until 5 November 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a call for evidence on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the SME supporting factor (SF). Through this paper, which is the basis for a preliminary discussion, the EBA is inviting its stakeholders to provide their input and evidence aimed at supporting the ongoing analysis on bank lending to SMEs and the impact of the SME SF. The final document, which will inform the European Commission’s own report on the impact of own funds requirements on lending to SMEs, is expected to be published in the first quarter of 2016. The consultation runs until 1 October 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Guidelines on cooperation agreements between deposit guarantee schemes (DGSs). These Guidelines are part of the EBA's work to promote a consistent and coherent approach to cooperation agreements between deposit guarantee schemes (DGSs) across the European Union (EU). The consultation runs until 29 October 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the key metrics used to identify global systemically important institutions (G-SIIs) in the EU, with information on size, interconnectedness, substitutability, complexity and cross-jurisdictional activity. The EBA’s regulatory package on G-SIIs identification and data disclosure are in line with the internationally agreed framework developed by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS). To promote a level playing field in the EU regarding the disclosure requirements and to increase transparency, the EBA goes beyond the minimum standards required by the BCBS, both in terms of granularity of the disclosed information and applicable scope of institutions. Therefore, some of the group-specific values published today include institutions that did not contribute directly to the BCBS's G-SIB exercise. This year’s disclosure exercise covers 37 EU institutions whose leverage ratio exposure measure exceeded 200 billion Euro in 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today two reports on the consistency of RWAs across large EU institutions for large corporate, sovereign and institutions’ IRB portfolios, (collectively referred to as “low default portfolios” - LDP), as well as for the calculation of counterparty credit risk (CCR) exposures under the Internal Model Method (IMM) and the credit value adjustments (CVA) according to the advanced approach (ACVA). The reports summarise the findings obtained from two benchmarking exercises conducted in line with the mandate laid down in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) and related draft technical standards. The benchmarking exercises aim at improving the comparability of EU banks’ RWAs and are a crucial tool to restoring trust in internal models.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its peer review report on the assessment of the suitability of members of the management body and key function holders. The report shows that National Competent Authorities (NCAs) largely comply with the EBA guidelines. The EBA analysis identified best practices carried out by some NCAs, but also highlighted significant differences remaining between NCAs’ supervisory approaches. The EBA concluded that the existing EBA guidelines have not led to sufficient convergence in supervisory practices, and proposed the incorporation in its forthcoming review of the guidelines of a number of specific best practices observed. The EBA also intends to send an opinion to the European Commission suggesting a change in the underlying Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) framework.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a report on macroprudential policy measures across the EU. The objective of this report is to take stock of the range of practices applied by EU Member States in relation to the provisions for macroprudential policies set out in the Capital Requirements Regulation and Directive (CRR/CRD IV), focusing on the interaction of macroprudential and microprudential objectives and tools. The report will contribute to the ongoing discussions regarding the implementation of macroprudential measures and will provide additional input for the regulatory work carried out by the European Commission, the EBA and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) regarding macroprudential tools.

The European Banking Authority (EBA), following requests from stakeholders, published today an update on the application date of its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on additional liquidity monitoring metrics.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today amendments to the adopted Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the treatment of non-delta risk of options in the standardised market risk approach and to the RTS on the criteria to identify categories of staff whose professional activities have a material impact on an institution’s risk profile. These two RTS were published by the European Commission as Delegated Acts on 20 May 2014 and 6 June 2014, respectively.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today amendments to the adopted Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the criteria to identify categories of staff whose professional activities have a material impact on an institution’s risk profile. These RTS were published by the European Commission as Delegated Act on 6 June 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on product oversight and governance (POG) arrangements for retail banking products. These Guidelines set out requirements for manufacturers and distributors when designing and bringing to market mortgages, personal loans, deposits, payment accounts, payment services and electronic money. The Guidelines are the EBA’s response to increasing risks arising from the mis-conduct of financial institutions in their interaction with consumers and are part of the EBA’s work to enhance consumer protection across the EU. The Guidelines will apply from 03 January 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a tentative sample of banks taking part in the 2015 transparency exercise, together with the draft templates illustrating the type of data that will be disclosed. In addition, following the approval by its Board of Supervisors, the EBA released the key features and a tentative calendar of the 2016 EU-wide stress test.

The EBA published final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) and Guidelines on the provision of group financial support, as well as final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) detailing the disclosure requirements of these activities. These Technical Standards and Guidelines specify the conditions under which one entity of a banking group can provide support to another entity of the same group in financial difficulties. These have been developed within the framework established by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) and aim at strengthening integrated risk management in EU banking groups by removing possible uncertainties around supporting entities in distress within the same group.

The EBA published today its final Guidelines and final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) relating to the eligibility of institutions for simplified obligations in the context of recovery planning, resolution planning and resolvability assessments under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). The EBA also issued final draft ITS on the procedures, forms and templates for submitting information on resolution plans under the BRRD. The work of the EBA aims at promoting a common EU framework for the application of simplified obligations, in line with the principle of proportionality, and to facilitate cooperation among EU authorities.

Following the public hearing held on June 26, the EBA published the full text of its advice to the European Commission on a framework for qualifying securitisation. The EBA advice had been disclosed last week during the public hearing, so that concerned stakeholders could receive advance information on the EBA’s proposed criteria for defining simple standard and transparent securitisation transactions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the conditions that Competent Authorities have to take into account when tightening capital requirements for mortgage exposures. The proposed RTS illustrate the conditions, as well as financial stability considerations, that would ensure a harmonised approach in setting higher risk weights and higher minimum loss given default (LGD) values. The consultation runs until 6 October 2015.

The EBA published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) setting out the general criteria against which valuers should be assessed to determine whether they comply with the legal requirement of independence for the purposes of performing valuation tasks under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). These RTS are part of the EBA's work to ensure the effectiveness of the resolution regime established by EU legislation.

Andrea Enria, Chairperson of the European Banking Authority (EBA), the EU institution that brings together the banking supervisors and regulators of the EU, said today in a statement: "I am not aware of any plans to introduce haircuts to retail depositors of Greek banks, as reported in the media this morning. I highly doubt that any authority or public body at EU or Member State level could consider this option, as it would be against EU law and the EBA would immediately start breach of EU law proceedings". In his statement Enria reminded that "EU legislation is in place to protect retail Greek depositors, as any other depositor in the EU".

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the Minimum Requirement for Own Funds and Eligible Liabilities (MREL), and on the contractual recognition of bail-in. Both standards provide further specification of essential elements to ensure the effectiveness of the resolution regime established by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). These standards are part of the EBA’s major programme of work to implement the BRRD and address the problem of too-big-to-fail banks.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its Final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) that specify the operational functioning of the resolution colleges established for those groups that operate on a cross-border basis in the European Economic Area (EEA). These RTS have been developed within the framework established by the EU Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (the BRRD) and specify how resolution colleges should function, from their establishment, going concern function and resolution planning, to situations of cross-border resolution.

The EBA published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on notifications and notice of suspension. These RTS have been developed within the framework established by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) and aim at harmonising at EU level the process and content of notifications, as well as the notice of suspension, to be followed when a banking institutions operating in the EU is failing or likely to fail.

The EBA today published its regular risk assessment report. The report is based on December 2014 data and the final production date for this report was 12 June 2015. The report therefore does not cover the current challenges posed by the situation in Greece. However, the report notes that direct exposures to Greek counterparties are limited. Nonetheless indirect challenges of contagion remain a concern and will require careful monitoring and coordination of supervisory activities across the single market.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion to the European Commission supporting its proposed amendments to the EBA final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) submitted to on 27 March 2014, which specifies the derogations concerning currencies featuring constraints on the availability of liquid assets. In particular, the EBA agrees with removing from its RTS the minimum 15% haircut to the value of the collateral posted by an institution with a central bank in order to obtain a credit line. It also supports the Commission’s other proposed amendments, which provide added detail and further legal certainty on the necessary conditions for the application of the derogations.

The three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) are launching a public consultation on updated Guidelines for the prudential assessment of acquisitions of qualifying holdings. The Guidelines define common procedures based on the assessment criteria laid down in the EU legislative framework that establishes how acquisitions and increases of qualifying holdings by natural or legal persons in financial institutions should be assessed. The Guidelines aim to harmonise supervisory practices in the financial sector across the EU and to provide more clarity to proposed acquirers on how they should notify the competent supervisory authorities.

The EBA presents its recommendations on a European Union (EU) framework for qualifying securitisations at a public hearing held in London today. The European Commission had requested in 2014 the EBA to advise on criteria for identifying a prudentially sound securitisation market and its regulatory treatment. The EBA, as one of the specialised EU agencies in banking and financial regulation, will deliver the opinion to the EC in early July and today’s hearing is intended to give advance information of its findings to market participants.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its updated Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting of liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) for EU credit institutions. The ITS include templates and instructions to update the LCR reporting framework following the Commission's adoption of the Delegated Act on the liquidity coverage requirement on 10 October 2014. As part of the EU Single Rulebook in the banking sector, these standards aim at harmonising reporting of the LCR across the EU by providing credit institutions with uniform templates and instructions.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) – EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – has published today a Technical Discussion Paper on risk, performance scenarios and cost disclosures for Key Information Documents (KIDs) for packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPs). The Joint Committee is looking for feedback from all concerned stakeholders by 17 August 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its fourth annual Consumer Trends Report. The report, which covers all the products that fall into the EBA’s consumer protection mandate, such as mortgages, personal loans, deposits, payment accounts, payment services and electronic money, highlights the trends the EBA has observed with these products in 2015 and the issues that may arise, or have arisen, for consumers buying them. It also provides early indications as to the areas in which the EBA may take action going forward. In addition, the report summarises all the measures the EBA has taken to address these issues.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its updated Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on disclosure and supervisory reporting of leverage ratio for EU institutions. The ITS include changes to templates and instructions to update the leverage ratio disclosure and reporting framework following the Commission’s adoption of the Delegated Act on the Leverage Ratio on 10 October 2014. As part of the EU Single Rulebook in the banking sector, these standards aim at harmonising reporting and disclosure of the leverage ratio across the EU by providing institutions with uniform templates and instructions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its 2014 Annual Report, which provides a detailed account of all the work the Authority achieved in the past year and anticipates the key areas of focus in the coming years.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion to the European Commission supporting its proposed amendments to the EBA final draft ITS on currencies featuring constraints on the availability of liquid assets. The EBA agrees with removing from its ITS the Danish Krone (DKK) as a currency for which there are insufficient liquid assets and supports the amendments to the recitals that justify why the Norwegian Krone (NOK) still qualifies as a currency with such constraints.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) provided today its technical advice to the European Commission on the criteria and principles that will be used to determine the uniform level of contributions by banks in the participating EU Member States to the Single Resolution Fund. Pooling financial resources into this common fund will be crucial for a successful implementation of the Banking Union. The EBA’s technical advice will inform a delegated act to be adopted by the Commission on the initial period for the contributions to the Single Resolution Fund.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) launched today a second consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) outlining the framework of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). This second consultation document is the result of an intense engagement with other authorities and the industry stakeholders in order to identify all the operation issues that may arise from the implementation of such framework. Therefore, the consultation focuses only on a narrow set of topics as most of the decisions have already been agreed following the first consultation held in April 2014. The consultation runs until 10 July 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS), which specify the criteria that Competent Authorities need to take into account before granting institutions permission to use advanced measurement approaches (AMA) for calculating their capital requirements for operational risk. These RTS are part of the overall review of internal models undertaken by the EBA and are part of the Authority’s efforts to harmonise practices for the approval of internal models in the area of credit, market and operational risk models across the EU banking sector. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector across the European Union.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) held its third Joint ESAs Consumer Protection Day on 3 June 2015 in Frankfurt. The event attracted over 300 consumer representatives, academics, legal and financial consultants, national supervisors, experts from the EU institutions and financial services industry (banking, securities, insurance and pensions).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on the draft Guidelines for passport notifications for mortgage credit intermediaries under the Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD). The Guidelines will ensure that information about credit intermediaries that carry out business in one or more Member States is exchanged consistently between the national authorities of the home and host Member States respectively. This public consultation runs until 4 July 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an interactive version of its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, which were adopted by the European Commission and published in the Official Journal as Implementing Regulation EU 680/2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a questionnaire to guide its assessment of non-EU countries’ equivalence with the EU prudential supervision and regulatory requirements specified in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and Directive (CRD). The questionnaire, which will be sent to a selected number of countries in different rounds, will facilitate the collection of data and allow the EBA to provide technical advice on the supervisory regimes of these non-EU countries, as mandated by the European Commission.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on creditworthiness assessment, as well as its final Guidelines on arrears and foreclosure. These Guidelines support the national implementation by Member States of the forthcoming Mortgage Credit Directive (‘MCD’). They will ensure that consumers are protected consistently across the European Union when interacting with creditors. The Guidelines apply from 21 March 2016, the transposition date of the MCD. As a further support to the implementation of the MCD, the EBA also published today the Opinion on Good Practices for Mortgage Creditworthiness Assessments and Arrears and Foreclosure, including expected mortgage payment difficulties.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the final version of its updated report on the monitoring of Additional Tier 1 (AT1) capital instruments issued by EU institutions, following a public hearing held on 18 May 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on contributions to deposit guarantee schemes and on payment commitments. Both Guidelines will help ensure consistent application of the new funding mechanisms provided for in the new Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive (DGSD).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on the circumstances under which an institution shall be considered as ‘failing or likely to fail’ (triggers for resolution). These Guidelines aim at promoting convergence of EU supervisory and resolution practices in relation to how resolution should be triggered.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated version of the CEBS guidelines on technical aspects of the management of interest rate risk arising from non-trading activities under the supervisory review process, published on 3 October 2006. The guidance provided in these updated guidelines applies to the interest rate risk arising from non-trading activities (IRRBB), one of the Pillar 2 risks specified in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRDIV).

The EBA announced today that it is getting ready to develop requirements that will harmonise regulatory and supervisory practices to ensure secure, easy and efficient payment services across the EU. The EBA will do so by fulfilling mandates under the upcoming revised Payments Services Directive (PSD2) and the Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR). It has also issued final Guidelines for the security of internet payments that are applicable from 1 August 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published three sets of final Guidelines aimed at facilitating the implementation of resolution tools in the banking sector across the EU. These Guidelines, which stem from the EU Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD), foster convergence on resolution matters by giving detailed guidance to EU Resolution Authorities on the circumstances they should assess when taking their resolution decisions.

The EBA updated today the list of closely correlated currencies that was published in December 2013 as part of the implementing technical standards (ITS) that were drafted for the purposes of calculating the capital requirements for foreign-exchange risk according to the standardised rules. The list was updated according to the procedure and methodology laid down in the ITS.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) defining the valuation of derivative liabilities for the purpose of bail-in in resolution. These standards have been developed within the framework of the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) which sets procedures for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions across the EU. The draft RTS provide EU resolution authorities with a methodology for the valuation of derivative liabilities of credit institutions placed under resolution and ensure that the discipline brought in by the new bail-in tool can effectively be extended to these liabilities too. The consultation will run until 13 August 2015.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) has published a report detailing its findings and recommendations regarding the disclosure requirements and obligations relating to due diligence, supervisory reporting and retention rules in existing EU law on Structured Finance Instruments (SFIs).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on specialised lending exposures. The proposed RTS aim to specify how institutions should take into account several factors when assigning risk weights to specialised lending exposures and how they should treat these factors. The consultation runs until 11 August 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an update to the XBRL taxonomy that Competent Authorities shall use for the remittance of data under the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The revised taxonomy will be used for reports on funding plans and supervisory benchmarking regarding reference dates of 31 December 2014 onwards.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on triggers for the use of early intervention measures. These Guidelines aim at promoting convergence of supervisory practices in relation to the application of early intervention measures as provided for in the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). The Guidelines establish a link between the on-going supervision conducted by the Competent Authorities according to the Capital Requirement Directive (CRD) and the early intervention powers set out in the BRRD.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the mapping of External Credit Assessment Institutions’ (ECAIs) credit assessments for securitisation positions. These ITS will be part of the Single Rulebook in banking aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation across the European Union (EU) and will allow the credit ratings of all registered credit rating agencies to be used for the purposes of calculating institutions’ capital requirements. The consultation will run until 7 August 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on indicators for the recovery and resolution plans of credit institutions and investment firms across the EU. These provide the minimum list of qualitative and quantitative indicators that institutions should include in their recovery plans and will function as triggers for the recovery plans, as prescribed by the EU Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD).

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) published its fifth Report on Risks and Vulnerabilities in the EU Financial System. Overall, the report found that in the past six months, risks affecting the EU financial system have not changed in substance, but have further intensified.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an update of its first report on the monitoring of Additional Tier 1 (AT1) capital instruments issued by EU institutions and released on 7th October 2014 . This update is partly based on the review of new AT1 issuances and includes some final conclusions of the EBA on issues previously flagged as being under investigation. The EBA expects to gather further insight on the basis of future issuances.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation to update its data template for the identification of global systemically relevant institutions (G-SIIs). The need for this revision was prompted by the new data template and some minor revisions introduced by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) in January 2015 for the identification of global systemically important banks (G-SIBs). The consultation runs until 20 May 2015.

On 3 July 2015, the European Banking Authority (EBA) will host its second workshop on the application of the proportionality principle in the EU banking supervisory framework, covering the latest institutional and regulatory reforms.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published its annual assessment of EU colleges of Supervisors, responsible for the oversight of cross border banks. The report assesses how colleges have functioned during 2014 and identifies key activities for the effective oversight of EU cross border banking groups in 2015. The report introduces items for supervisory attention in 2015, including conduct risk, Information Technology (IT) risks and the need for effective decisions on recovery plans.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its first annual Report addressed to the EU Parliament and the Council on the convergence of supervisory review practices in the EU banking sector. The Report covers the findings of an assessment carried out over the past 3 years and focuses on Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process and assessment of risks (SREP), supervisory stress testing, ongoing review of internal models, and supervisory measures and powers.

The EBA published today a revised version of its Work Programme for 2015. This review was carried out following the receipt of some additional mandates and a reduction to the EBA budget, which took place since the adoption of the EBA's 2015 Work Programme in September 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Recommendation specifying its opinion on the confidentiality regime of several non-EU supervisory authorities to facilitate their participation in supervisory colleges overseeing international banks, led by EU supervisors. The paper looks at the conditions that need to be met in terms of confidentiality requirements and gives an overview of equivalence to EU standards. This work aims to harmonise the application of Art. 116 (6) of the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) in the composition of supervisory colleges.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) is organising the third Joint ESAs Consumer Protection Day on 3 June 2015 in Frankfurt am Main. The event will bring together, from all over Europe, thought leaders of consumer/investor organisations, national regulators, EU institutions, academics and key market participants to discuss consumer protection-related issues in the financial services area.

The EBA launched a public consultation on its guidelines proposing criteria to set limits on EU institutions’ exposures to shadow banking entities. The document lays out a qualitative approach for institutions to develop their internal policies for monitoring and setting appropriate limits, both at individual and aggregate levels. These guidelines will also help inform the Commission’s work in relation to its report on the appropriateness and impact of imposing limits on exposures to shadow banking entities under Article 395(2) of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). The consultation runs until 19 June 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published its Final Guidelines on standardised fee terminology for EU payment accounts in the EU. These guidelines are the first step towards developing standardised terminology across the EU. They are developed in accordance with the EU Payment Accounts Directive, which requires standardisation of terminology for services that are found to be common in at least a majority of Member States. These Guidelines have been finalised following a two-month consultation period that ended in January 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a call for research papers in view of its fourth policy research workshop taking place on 18-19 November 2015 in London on the topic ‘Financial regulation and the real economy: a micro-prudential perspective’.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) amending the Commission's Implementing Regulation (EU) No 680/2014 on supervisory reporting. These final draft ITS include minor changes to templates and instructions which the EBA deemed necessary to publish in order to reflect some of the answers published in its Single Rulebook Q&A, as well as to correct legal references and other clerical errors. The amendments are expected to be applicable for reporting as of June 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an update to its periodic risk dashboard summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector on the basis of the evolution of Key Risk Indicators (KRI) from 55 banks for the third quarter of 2014. This edition of the risk dashboard is the first to have balance sheet information based on the supervisory reporting standards from FINREP, the Financial Reporting framework for financial institutions across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched a public consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the content of “Business Reorganisation Plans and Progress Reports” and Guidelines on the assessment of these plans. The RTS and the Guidelines have been developed within the framework established by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) which sets procedures for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions, investment firms and related entities across the EU. The consultation runs until 9 June 2015.

The EBA issued today advice to the European Commission on the resolution framework for EU banks, covering the definition of critical functions and core business lines, as well as rules for the exclusion of liabilities from the application of the bail-in tool. The Authority reminded that the purpose of the bail-in tool is to ensure the legislative principle that shareholders and creditors of a failing institution have to bear its losses, and as such exemptions should be applied cautiously. The EBA advice on critical functions is based on its work on rules for recovery planning and on a comparative analysis of the recovery plans of 27 European cross-border banking groups which identified key strengths and weaknesses in banks’ approaches and is also published today.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) launched today a consultation on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the allocation of External Credit Assessment Institution (ECAIs) to an objective scale of credit quality steps under Solvency II.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on detailed records of financial contracts of institutions or relevant entities. These RTS have been developed within the framework established by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) which sets procedures for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions, investment firms and related entities across the EU Single Market. These standards aim to guarantee appropriate convergence in record keeping across the EU, whilst also ensuring that differences in institutions or relevant entities are taken into account. This consultation runs until 6 June 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) announced today that significant potential concentration problems in Sweden justify the application of a partial waiver on covered bonds. The opinion is addressed to the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen) and follows their notification that they intend to implement a partial waiver on the eligibility of covered bonds in relation to risk weight preferential treatment. The verdict comes after a review of the Swedish covered bonds market and concerns the application of Article 129 (1) of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a discussion paper on the regulatory measures needed to ensure a robust and clear framework for Internal Ratings Based (IRB) models. The discussion paper seeks stakeholders’ feedback on both how to implement the necessary measures in a consistent way and how to bring forward future changes to the current approach. In addition, an overview of the regulatory measures that are under way is provided. The consultation runs until 5 May 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a three-month public consultation on its Guidelines on sound remuneration policies. These draft Guidelines set out the governance process for implementing sound remuneration policies across the EU, as well as the specific criteria for mapping all remuneration components into either fixed or variable pay. Guidance is also provided on the application of deferral arrangements and the pay-out instruments ensuring that variable remuneration is aligned with an institution’s long-term risks and that any ex-post risk adjustments can be applied as appropriate.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its seventh report of the Basel III monitoring exercise on the European banking system. This exercise, run in parallel with the one conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) at a global level, allows the gathering of aggregate results on capital and liquidity ratios- including liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and net stable funding ratio (NSFR)- and leverage ratio (LR) for banks in the European Union (EU).

In its meeting on 24 February 2015, the Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority (EBA) decided not to carry out an EU-wide stress test in 2015 and to start preparing for the next exercise in 2016. Instead of a stress test, in 2015, the EBA will be running a transparency exercise in line with the one conducted in 2013, which will provide detailed data on EU banks’ balance sheets and portfolios. This decision has been communicated to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a new XBRL taxonomy to be used by competent authorities for remittance of data under the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The new taxonomy will have as reference date 30 June 2015 onwards and will be used for the first reports on additional liquidity monitoring metrics and supervisory benchmarking. The new taxonomy presents the data items, business concepts, relations, visualisations and validation rules described by the EBA Data Point Model (DPM) which are contained in the ITS on supervisory reporting and in the EBA Guidelines on definitions and templates on funding plans.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published a set of papers for benchmarking the internal approaches that EU institutions use to calculate own-funds requirements for credit and market risk exposures. The EBA final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) and Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) specify in detail the framework for EU institutions and competent authorities to carry out the annual supervisory benchmarking foreseen by the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD IV). The EBA also issued its response to a call for advice by the European Commission’s on the benchmarking process. This work is part of the EBA’s efforts to address possible inconsistencies in the calculation of risk weighted assets (RWAs) across the EU Single Market and to ultimately restore confidence in EU banks’ capital and internal models.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on prudential requirements for central securities depositories (CSDs). These RTS have been developed within the framework established by the Regulation on settlement and Central Securities Depositories (CSD-R), which aims to increase the safety and efficiency of securities settlement and settlement infrastructures. The consultation runs until 27 April 2015.

In an opinion issued today, the European Banking Authority (EBA) recommended that EU legislators clarify the applicability of existing EU law to lending-based crowdfunding, so as to ensure that all participants can have confidence in this new market segment. The EBA opinion, which is addressed to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Council, looked into lending-based crowdfunding across the EU, identified a series of risks and evaluated how they can be addressed in the EU legislative framework.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to the European Commission on several aspects related to the calculation of own funds requirements for Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) risk. The sixteen policy recommendations in the Opinion build on an extensive technical analysis conducted by the EBA, which is also published today in the form of a Report and a Review. Based on the findings of the Report, the Commission may adopt a delegated act.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its Opinion on the review of the appropriateness of the definition of ‘eligible capital’, in response to a call for advice received from the European Commission in December 2013. On the basis of information gathered during the first year of application of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), the EBA provides its preliminary views which are relevant for the large exposures framework, as well as for investment firms and qualifying holdings.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has decided to make a specific and limited amendment to its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on Prudent Valuation published on 31 March 2014. As a consequence of this decision, all occurrences of ‘volatility’ in Article 9 and Article 10 of the final draft RTS published on 31 March 2014 should be replaced by ‘variance’ for the purposes of computing market price uncertainty and close-out costs additional valuation adjustments (AVAs).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its impact assessment report for liquidity coverage requirements. Overall, this analysis points to improvements of EU banks’ compliance with Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) requirements and shows that the implementation of the LCR is not likely to have a negative impact on the stability of financial markets and of the supply of bank lending. The report is based on liquidity data provided by 322 European banks, covering about 2/3 of total banking assets in the EU, and it will inform EU policies aimed at strengthening the resilience of EU banks.

Speech given by Andrea Enria at the Banking Forum of IESE Business School in Barcelona on 26 November 2014, and at the III Financial Meeting organised by CECA and the Spanish Banking Association in Madrid on 14 January 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on procedures, forms and templates for resolution planning. These ITS have been developed within the framework established by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) which sets procedures for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions, investment firms and related entities across the EU. This consultation runs until 14 April 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today three sets of final Guidelines related to the information that institutions in the EU banking sector should disclose under Pillar 3. These Guidelines, condensed into a single document, cover how institutions should apply the concepts of materiality, proprietary nature and confidentiality in relation to the disclosure requirements, as well as how they should assess the frequency of disclosures. These Guidelines aim at enhancing consistency in disclosure practices across the EU and are part of the EBA’s work to ensure transparency in the EU banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the conditions for competent authorities (CAs) to grant permission for institutions to use relevant data covering shorter time series (data waiver permission), when estimating risk parameters. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook in the banking sector in the European Union (EU).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on disclosure of information related to the countercyclical capital buffer (CCB). These RTS will be part of the EU Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the EU banking sector. In particular, the use of uniform templates for the disclosure of the CCB will facilitate geographical comparison and ensure transparency of the CCB buffer for all financial institutions across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated list of capital instruments that Competent Supervisory Authorities across the European Union (EU) have classified as Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1). Since the publication of the first list, some new CET1 instruments have been assessed and evaluated as compliant with the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). This list is compiled in accordance with Article 26 of CRR and is updated on a regular basis.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs - EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) published today its joint final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on risk concentration and intra-group transactions under the Financial Conglomerates Directive (FICOD). These standards clarify which risk concentration and intra-group transactions shall be considered as significant at the level of financial conglomerate and aim at ensuring consistent application across the EU of the FICOD’s requirements on this topic.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion on how to improve the well- functioning of the securitisation market. The Opinion is based on a detailed report, which assesses compliance by Competent Authorities with securitisation risk retention, due diligence and disclosure requirements. While expressing support for the provisions laid down in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), the EBA is making a series of recommendations to ensure increased transparency, legal certainty of compliance with the retention rules as well as prevention of any potential regulatory arbitrage. The report also assesses the application and effectiveness of such requirements in light of the international developments.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) published today a consultation paper on draft Guidelines for regulating cross-selling practices in the financial sector across the EU. These guidelines establish a coherent and effective approach in supervising firms that offer cross-selling options, so as to enhancing protection of EU customers. The consultation will run until 22 March 2015.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs - EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) published today the Joint Guidelines on the convergence of practices aimed at ensuring consistency of supervisory coordination arrangements for financial conglomerates. The first Guidelines developed jointly by the three ESAs in relation to the FICOD (Financial Conglomerates Directive) aim to clarify and enhance cooperation between national competent authorities on cross-border groups that have been identified as financial conglomerates.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on notifications and notice of suspension. These RTS have been developed within the framework established by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) and aim at harmonising the process and content of notifications and notice of suspension arising from a determination that a firm is failing or likely to fail and the subsequent resolution actions. The consultation runs until 20 March 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its sixth semi-annual report on risks and vulnerabilities of the EU banking sector. The report highlights that throughout 2014, European banks have continued to take advantage of favourable market conditions to raise capital in preparation for the asset quality reviews (AQR) and the 2014 EU-wide stress test. The average common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio for the largest European banks reached 11.8 % in June 2014, the highest level since 2009 and broadly in line with the largest US banks. The report informs that market sentiment and confidence is improving. However, it also warns that the signs of recovery remain modest and fragile and that weak macroeconomic conditions can further affect credit quality. The heavy debt overhang, the potential impact of conduct-related issues, and the sustainability of business models and profitability remain sources of concerns.

The EBA has published its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) and Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the functioning of the colleges of supervisors in the EU. These technical standards on colleges detail the conditions for the establishment and functioning of colleges of supervisors, and assist the interaction and cooperation between the consolidating supervisor and the relevant competent authorities. They also detail how colleges' supervisory activities should be planned and performed in both going concern and emergency situations.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines for common procedures and methodologies for the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP). These Guidelines represent a major step forward in forging a consistent supervisory culture across the Single Market and provide a common framework for the work of supervisors in the assessment of risks to banks' business models, their solvency and liquidity. These Guidelines will be a key component of the EU Single Rulebook, which aims at improving the functioning of the internal market, including a sound, effective and consistent level of regulation and supervision in the banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to the Danish FSA following its proposal of a partial waiver from the application of Article 129 (1)(c) of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), which specifies the conditions for the eligibility of covered bonds in relation to risk weight preferential treatment. The EBA is of the opinion that given the significant potential concentration problems in Denmark, the application of a partial waiver is adequately justified.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on the security of internet payments, which set the minimum security requirements that Payment Services Providers in the EU will be expected to implement by 1 August 2015. Concerned about the increase in frauds related to internet payments, the EBA decided that the implementation of a more secure framework for internet payments across the EU was needed. These Guidelines are based on the technical work carried out by the European Forum on the Security of Retail Payments (SecuRe Pay).

The EBA published today final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on resolution planning and final Guidelines on measures to reduce or remove impediments to resolvability. These are part of the EBA's work to promote a consistent and coherent approach to bank resolution across the European Union (EU) and specify contents of resolution plans for EU institutions, as well as the criteria for the resolvability assessment. Common EU standards in these areas are essential to facilitate effective cooperation and joint decisions between resolution authorities.

The EBA published today its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on joint decisions related to the approval of internal models. The objective of these standards is to facilitate the interaction and cooperation between competent authorities and to strengthen supervision of cross-border banking groups across the EU. These ITS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector at EU level.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the operational functioning of the resolution colleges that are to be established for those banking groups that operate on a cross-border basis within the European Economic Area (EEA). These standards are based on specific requirements laid down in the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD), which provides a common resolution regime across the EU aimed at allowing home and host authorities to deal with failing institutions and cooperate in the process of resolution planning. The consultation will run until 18 March 2015.

Following a decision by the EBA's Board of Supervisors on 15 December 2014, the EBA Recommendation from July 2013 on the preservation of Core Tier 1 capital of EU banks during the transition to the Capital Requirements Directive/Capital Requirements Regulation framework (EBA/REC/2013/03) has been repealed and therefore is no longer into force.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. National authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today its final Guidelines defining the criteria that EU competent authorities will use to identify institutions that are systemically important either at Union or Member State level, the so-called ‘other systemically important institutions’ (O-SIIs). These Guidelines aim at setting uniform parameters at EU level while taking into account specificities of Member States’ individual banking sectors, so as to achieve an appropriate degree of convergence in the identification process as well as at ensuring a comparable, clear and transparent assessment of systemically important institutions in the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today two consultations on two draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) amending the Commission’s Implementing Regulation on supervisory reporting with regard to the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) and the Leverage Ratio (LR). The proposed amendments follow the Commission’ Delegated Acts specifying the LCR and the LR respectively. The consultation on the amendments to the LCR reporting will run until 10 February 2015 and the one on the amendments to the LR reporting will run until 27 January 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a consultation paper on draft Guidelines on arrears and foreclosure under the Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD). As foreclosure can have significant consequences for consumers, creditors should implement measures to attempt to resolve with the borrower any payment difficulties before initiating foreclosure proceedings. These draft Guidelines will ensure that such measures are developed and adopted consistently across the European Union. The public consultation will run until 12 February 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a consultation paper on draft Guidelines on creditworthiness assessments under the Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD). These draft Guidelines provide details on how creditors across the EU should assess and verify consumers’ creditworthiness before concluding credit agreements for immovable residential properties. The consultation will run until 12 February 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the periodical update to its risk dashboard summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the banking sector in the European Union (EU) on the basis of the evolution of Key Risk Indicators (KRI) from 53 banks across the EU in the first and second quarter of 2014. This edition of the risk dashboard is the first to have own funds’ positions and requirements data that is based on the supervisory reporting standards from COREP, the Common Reporting framework for financial institutions across the EU, and includes an annex on aggregate risk parameters that brings enhanced transparency on EU banks' and allows comparison across countries and geographical areas.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final technical advice to the Commission laying out criteria and factors for exercising intervention powers on structured deposits. This final technical advice, which has been developed in accordance with the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (MiFIR) requiring the EBA to monitor the market for structured deposits, takes into consideration, where appropriate, comments received during a public consultation earlier this year.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a discussion paper on the draft requirements for passport notifications for mortgage credit intermediaries across the EU. The requirements will ensure that information about credit intermediaries that carry out business in one or more Member States is exchanged consistently between the competent authorities of the home Member State and of the host Member State. The paper issued today contains the EBA’s preliminary considerations on the issue. It aims at promoting discussion and gathering preliminary stakeholders’ views at an early stage of the process, so as to inform the upcoming work on the topic. The consultation runs until 12 March 2015.

The EBA published today, in an aggregated format, all the information disclosed by EU Competent Authorities according to its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory disclosure which was published in the EU Official Journal on 4 June 2014. This information provides an overview on the implementation and transposition of the Capital Requirements Directive (CRDIV) and Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) across the EU. It also provides a detailed picture on the use of options and national discretions by each and every EU Member State. Finally, it provides aggregate statistical data on the EU banking sector as at end 2013.

On 15 December 2014, the EBA will move to its new offices in Canary Wharf, London. Here is all the relevant information on the new EBA premises and changes in the address that you may want to take into consideration for your meetings and correspondence.

The Joint Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities published today its decision in an appeal brought by Investor Protection Europe (IPE) sprl, a company based in Brussels, against a decision of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) of 10 June 2014 not to initiate an investigation under Article 17 of the ESMA Regulation regarding an alleged breach of Union law by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier of Luxembourg. The Board of Appeal unanimously decided that the appeal was inadmissible, and in the light of that decision, did not consider the substance of IPE’s complaint

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) further specifying the criteria to set the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) laid down in the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). The aim of these standards is to achieve an appropriate degree of convergence in how these criteria are interpreted and applied across the EU to ensure a level playing field. Institutions with similar risk profiles, resolvability and other characteristics in any Member State should have similar levels of MREL. The consultation runs until 27 February 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to the European Commission, relating to the perimeter of credit institutions and namely to the different approaches across EU Member States on the interpretation of the definition of ‘credit institution’ in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). The Opinion is based on a report, also published today, in which the EBA summarises the findings of a comprehensive study, which focuses on the interpretation of the term ‘credit institution’ and the prudential treatment of those entities established in the Union which carry on credit intermediation but are not ‘credit institutions’.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) will hold a public hearing in London on Friday 5 December 2014 from 09.00 am to 11.00 am GMT on the draft Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) report to be submitted to the EU Commission.

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (RBS) has resubmitted its 2014 EU-wide stress test results following a recalculation of its Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital ratios. The amended templates are now available on the EBA website.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) launched today a call for expressions of interest with the aim of identifying members of a Consultative Expert Group (CEG), who will advise and provide technical input to the Joint Committee’s Sub-group on Key Information Documents for Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (PRIIPs).

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) published today a Discussion Paper on Key Information Documents (KIDs) designed to help retail investors in the EU better understand and compare packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPs) across the EU. The ESAs are looking for feedback from all concerned stakeholders by 17 February 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on assessment methodology for internal ratings-based (IRB) approach. These draft RTS are a key component of the EBA’s work to ensure consistency in models outputs and comparability of risk-weighted exposures and will contribute to harmonise the supervisory assessment methodology across all EU Member States.. The consultation runs until 12 March 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) lunched today two public consultations on (i) Guidelines on the treatment of shareholders when applying the bail-in tool or the write down or conversion of capital instruments and (ii) Guidelines on when and how different conversion rates from debt to equity should be set for different types of liability. These two sets of Guidelines are part of a series of EBA regulatory mandates under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD), which aim to ensure that the bail-in power is an effective way of absorbing losses and recapitalising banks in resolution, and that resolution authorities and other stakeholders have a clear understanding of the terms on which it should be applied. Both consultations run until 6 February 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a consultation paper on draft Guidelines on product oversight and governance arrangements for retail banking products. The guidelines, which apply to both manufacturers and distributors of retail banking products, aim at ensuring that the interests, objectives and characteristics of consumers are taken into account when such products are designed and brought to market. The consultation will run until 10 February 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Guidelines on methods for calculating contributions to Deposit Guarantee Schemes (DGSs). The Guidelines set principles and specify necessary elements for calculating risk-based contributions to DGSs, with a view to curbing moral hazard while building up the necessary financial resources for DGSs. The Guidelines foster convergence in contributions practices across the EU, promoting level playing field for banks within the Single Market. The consultation runs until 11 February 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on valuation in recovery and resolution. These draft RTS aim to provide a common structure to decisions made by resolution authorities and independent valuers and to promote a consistent application of methodologies for such valuations across the EU. The consultation runs until 6 February 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a consultation paper on Guidelines on national provisional lists of the most representative services linked to a payment account and subject to a fee. The EU Payment Accounts Directive requires the EBA to develop standardised terminology and information documents related to payment accounts for consumers across the EU. As a first step, the EBA has developed Guidelines to help Competent Authorities identify the most representative services linked to a payment account and subject to a fee in their jurisdictions. The consultation will run until 9 January 2015. The technical standards that will subsequently be developed will allow EU consumers to make better informed decisions when choosing their payment accounts.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) under Article 55(3) of the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). These RTS support the effective application of the write-down and conversion powers in relation to liabilities governed by the law of a third country. The consultation is part of the EBA’s work to promote the effective application of recovery and resolution powers to banks and banking groups with a cross-border presence and to foster convergence of practices between relevant authorities and institutions across the EU. The consultation runs until 5 February 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a public consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on materiality threshold of past due credit obligations. The EBA proposes a series of new conditions against which National Supervisory Authorities (NSAs) should set a materiality threshold for past due credit obligations. The consultation runs until 31 January 2015.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA - ESAs) published today an addendum to the joint consultation on the mapping of the credit assessments to risk weights of External Credit Assessment Institutions (ECAIs). The addendum provides further details on the application of the rules proposed in the draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) in relation to particular ECAIs and is to be considered as an extension of the consultation process. The consultation period will be reopened until 30 November 2014 in order to collect additional comments.

The EBA released a clarification statement following Andrea Enria's address at the FRSN conference in Berlin on "The Comprehensive Assessment, the ECB’s New Role and Limits of a Common Supervision in the EU".

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an opinion addressed to the European Commission on the appropriateness of the rules governing the levels of application of prudential requirements for credit and investment institutions (Pillar 1 and 2), in particular the exemption regime.

The EBA has today published the responses received from the Bulgarian authorities in relation to the cases of Corporate Commercial Bank AD (KTB) and Commercial Bank Victoria EAD (VCB). As the requirements of the recommendation adopted by the EBA have not been implemented, the EBA has formally notified the European Commission in accordance with Article 17(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the results of the 2014 EU-wide stress test of 123 banks. The aim of the stress test is to assess the resilience of EU banks to adverse economic developments, so as to understand remaining vulnerabilities, complete the repair of the EU banking sector and increase confidence. On average, EU banks’ common equity ratio (CET1) drops by 260 basis points, from 11.1% at the start of the exercise, after the asset quality reviews’ (AQRs) adjustment, to 8.5% after the stress. By disclosing these results, the EBA is providing unparalleled transparency into EU banks’ balance sheets, with up to 12,000 data points per bank, an essential step towards enhancing market discipline in the EU.

Piers Haben, Director of the EBA Oversight, explains in a short video all that’s needed to know on the 2014 EU-wide stress test. Take a look at this dedicated multimedia section on the stress test: https://www.eba.europa.eu/risk-analysis-and-data/eu-wide-stress-testing/2014/visual-material-and-infographics#video

The Joint Committee publishes the 2014 List of Identified Financial Conglomerates. The latest version of the list shows 71 financial conglomerates with the head of group in an EU/EEA country, one with the head of group in Australia, two with the head of the group in Switzerland, and two with the head of group in the United States.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. National authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be validated against the set of deactivated rules.

What is a stress test? Why do we need an EU-wide stress test? What is the role of the EBA in the exercise? The new EBA infographics will help you find out more about the EU-wide stress test, including how to read key figures and findings, ahead of the release of the 2014 results. Visit this dedicated section aslo to learn more about what will be disclosed and how on Sunday 26 October. You can now follow the latest news from the EBA on Twitter, look up @EBA_News on Twitter or click on https://twitter.com/EBA_News

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has adopted a formal recommendation addressed to the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) and the Bulgarian Deposit Insurance Fund (BDIF) notifying that they are breaching Article 1(3)(i) and Article 10 of Directive 94/19/EC (the Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive - DGSD). The EBA also informs the two national authorities of the actions that they need to follow in order to comply with their obligations under EU legislation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a consultation paper on the implementation of its Guidelines on the security of internet payments. These Guidelines are the first output of the joint work undertaken by the EBA and the European Central Bank (ECB) on the security of payment services. The consultation will run until 14 November 2014.

SecuRe Pay forum to provide input for the development of EBA regulatory and supervisory requirements, as well as European Central Bank oversight standards for retail payments. EBA meanwhile publishes consultation paper on the security of internet payments, also based on the SecuRe Pay recommendations.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the findings of its investigation regarding discretionary remuneration practices across the EU banking sector. The report shows that some institutions have classified the so-called ‘role-based’ allowances in a way that increases the fixed component of remuneration, which may impact on the limitation of the bonus cap. As a result of this analysis, the EBA issued an Opinion to the European Commission and EU competent authorities calling for supervisors to ensure that institutions’ remuneration practices on allowances comply with EU legislation.

The EBA launched today a public consultation on its discussion paper on simple, standard and transparent securitisations. The work is the initial response of the Authority to the European Commission's call for advice on identifying a prudentially sound securitisation market and its regulatory treatment, aimed at widening long-term funding opportunities for the European economy. The consultation runs until 14 January 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its work programme for 2015, describing its main objectives and deliverables in the forthcoming year. In 2015, the EBA will progress with its activities aimed at building a single regulatory and supervisory framework for the entire banking sector in the 28 EU Member States, while ensuring that risk assessment in the EU banking sector remains a key priority. The Authority will also carry on with its work for consumers in the banking sector, enhancing their protection from detriment and their fair and equal treatment across the entire EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA), notes the Commission’s adoption of the delegated act on the liquidity coverage requirement (LCR) and leverage ratio (LR), for which the EBA had provided its technical advice. In this respect, the EBA will remain vigilant on the implementation and further impact of these provisions in particular on the business and the risk profile of institutions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) will publish the 2014 EU-wide stress test results on Sunday 26 October 2014. The stress test, which assesses the resilience of EU banks to a hypothetical adverse macroeconomic scenario, uses a common methodology developed by the EBA, and applies it consistently across all participating banks. With up to 12,000 data points per bank disclosed, it will provide an unmatched level of transparency into the EU banking sector. Simultaneously, the ECB will be publishing the results of its Comprehensive Assessment (CA).

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) published today its Work Programme for the upcoming year. Throughout 2015, the Joint Committee will continue to give high priority to Consumer Protection and Cross-Sectoral Risk Analysis.

The report presents the first results of the review done by the European Banking Authority (EBA) on the issuances of Additional Tier 1 (AT1) capital instruments. The Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) tasks the EBA with monitoring the quality of own funds instruments issued by institutions across the European Union (EU). This review is preliminary and the EBA expects to gather further insight on the basis of future issuances.

The EBA launched today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) and Guidelines specifying the various conditions for the provision of group financial support, and on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the disclosure of group financial support agreements. These Technical Standards and Guidelines have been developed within the framework established by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) and aim at strengthening integrated risk management by removing possible uncertainties around supporting entities in distress within the same group. The consultation runs until 4 January 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Guidelines clarifying the interrelationship between the sequence in which liabilities should be written down or converted when the bail-in power introduced by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) is used, and the hierarchy of capital instruments in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). This is the first of several EBA regulatory mandates under the BRRD which aim to ensure that bail-in power is an effective way of absorbing losses and recapitalising banks in resolution and that resolution authorities and other stakeholders have a clear understanding of the terms under which it should be applied. The consultation runs until 3 January 2015.

As of today, the EBA has introduced an additional improvement to its Single Rulebook Q&A tool that is intended to facilitate the review of Q&As. In the ‘Search for Q&As’ section, users now have the possibility to export all or a sub-set of Q&As into a PDF format. For additional information please refer to point 17 of the Additional background and guidance for asking questions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today indicators from global systemically important institutions (G-SIIs) as provided for in the Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) and Guidelines on disclosure rules applicable to large institutions.

The EBA launched today a consultation on Guidelines identifying the minimum qualitative and quantitative indicators that institutions should include in their recovery plans. The proposed Guidelines have been developed within the framework established by the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and investment firms. The consultation runs until 2 January 2015.

The EBA launched today a consultation on Guidelines on payment commitments to deposit guarantee schemes. These Guidelines are part of the EBA's work to promote a consistent and coherent approach to deposit guarantee schemes across the European Union (EU). The consultation runs until 2 January 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today two consultations on its draft Guidelines and Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) related to recovery planning, resolution planning and resolvability assessments under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). The Guidelines define how EU authorities should assess whether an institution is eligible for simplified obligations. The EBA will monitor any divergence of approach in the application of simplified obligations and will report accordingly to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. The papers launched for consultation today are part of the EBA’s work to promote convergence of practices between competent and resolution authorities across the EU. These consultations run until 3 January 2015.

Following a stage of preliminary enquiries, the Chairman of the European Banking Authority (EBA) has opened an investigation into an alleged breach of Union law by competent authorities in the Republic of Bulgaria.

The EBA consults on three sets of Guidelines related to the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). The documents aim at facilitating the implementation of resolution tools in the EU banking sector, and in particular at regulating the sale of business tool and the asset separation tool, as well as the transfer of an institution or its assets under any of the resolution tools. The consultation runs until 22 December 2014.

This statement was delivered during the annual public hearing of the chairpersons of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) of the European Parliament.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines specifying the type of tests, review or exercises that may lead to extraordinary public support measures for institutions in the banking sector. These Guidelines aim at promoting a consistent and coherent approach to bank resolution across the European Union and will be part of the EU Single Rulebook in the banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on two draft Guidelines on (i) the triggers for using early intervention measures (triggers for early intervention) and on (ii) the circumstances under which an institution shall be considered as ‘failing or likely to fail’ (triggers for resolution). Both Guidelines ensure continuum between the on-going supervision conducted by national authorities in line with the CRD, and the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). They aim at promoting convergence of supervisory and resolution practices in relation to how resolution should be triggered and how to apply early intervention measures. The consultations run until 22 December 2014.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) published today its bi-annual report on risks and vulnerabilities in the European Union's (EU) financial system. The report identifies a number of risks to financial stability in the EU, including prolonged weak economic growth in an environment characterised by high indebtedness, intensified search for yield in a protracted low interest rate environment, and uncertainties in global emerging market economies. The report also highlights risks related to conduct of business and Information Technologies (IT).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its sixth report of the Basel III monitoring exercise on the European banking system. This exercise, run in parallel with the one conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) at a global level, allows the gathering of aggregate results on capital, liquidity (liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and net stable funding ratio (NSFR)) and leverage ratios for banks in the European Union (EU).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the final templates for the 2014 EU-wide stress test. These are common templates for all EU banks and illustrate the type and the format of data that will be disclosed on a bank by bank basis. The EBA will act as the central data hub for all EU banks providing a comprehensive dataset in an editable and user-friendly format. By disclosing data in a consistent and comparable way across the Single Market, the EBA will bring greater transparency to EU banks, contributing to enhanced market discipline of the entire EU banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a new XBRL taxonomy to be used by competent authorities for remittance of data under the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The new taxonomy will have as reference date 31 December 2014 onwards and will be used for the first reports on asset encumbrance and funding plans. The new taxonomy presents the data items, business concepts, relations, visualisations and validation rules described by the EBA Data Point Model (DPM) which are contained in the ITS on supervisory reporting and in the EBA Guidelines on definitions and templates on funding plans.

The European Commission published today its Report on the operation of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) and the European System of Financial Supervision (ESFS). The report recognises the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the three European Supervisory Authorities in contributing to restoring confidence in the financial sector and promoting the Single Rulebook. It also identifies areas where adjustments might be needed in order to improve and strengthen the functioning of the current institutional set up, also in light of the establishment of the Banking Union.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the treatment of equity exposures under the internal ratings-based (IRB) approach. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a paper laying out criteria for its task of exercising intervention powers on structured deposits. The paper is launched for a public consultation that will run until 5 October 2014. The work is carried out in accordance with the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (MiFIR) which requires the EBA to monitor the market for structured deposits marketed, distributed or sold in the European Union.

Following the publication of Regulation (EU) No 680/2014 (ITS on supervisory reporting of the institutions) on the Official Journal of the European Union, the corresponding provisional Q&As have been updated and in some instances amended to reflect the published ITS. The EBA published a new set of final Q&As on supervisory reporting. In order to facilitate consultation, all revisions have been highlighted in the new set of final Q&As.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) published a reminder to banks and insurance companies across the EU on the consumer protection requirements that apply to certain financial instruments they issue. In addition, ESMA highlighted specific risks posed to investors by contingent convertible instruments (CoCos).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its Final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) amending the Commission’s Implementing Regulation (EU) No 680/2014 on supervisory reporting under Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council. These final draft ITS include minor changes to templates and instructions which the EBA deemed necessary to publish in order to reflect some of the answers published in its Single Rulebook Q&As, as well as to correct legal references and other clerical errors. The amendments are expected to be applicable for reporting as of December 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the updated versions of three final drafts Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on Asset Encumbrance, Non-Performing Exposures and Forbearance, and Additional Monitoring Metrics for Liquidity. The three versions published today substitute those previously issued on the same topics.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a peer review on the implementation of its guidelines on the management of concentration risk under the supervisory review process (SREP). The report shows that National Competent Authorities (NCAs) largely comply with the assessed guidelines (GL31) and credit concentration risk forms an integral part of NCAs’ risk assessment system.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs - EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) launched today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on risk concentration and intra-group transactions within financial conglomerates. The technical standards aim at enhancing supervisory consistency in the application of the Financial Conglomerates Directive (FICOD). The consultation runs until 24 October 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published its Opinion on a draft structural measure of banking separation impacting the limits to intra-group large exposures that France intends to implement at national level. The EBA Opinion assessed the measures laid down in the French legal framework and found that such measure is consistent with the general principles governing the EU internal market.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Guidelines setting forth criteria to identify institutions that are systemically important either at Member State or Union level, the so called ‘other systemically important institutions’ (O-SIIs). The Guidelines aim at achieving an appropriate degree of convergence in the identification process as well as at ensuring a comparable, clear and transparent assessment of O-SIIs. The consultation runs until 18 October 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today two final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying (i) the information to be included in a recovery plan, and (ii) the criteria which competent authorities should apply when assessing the recovery plan of an institution or a group. The final draft RTS are complemented by Guidelines providing the range of scenarios to be used when testing recovery plans. These standards and Guidelines aim to facilitate bank recovery on a cross-border basis and enhance financial stability by ensuring consistent high regulatory standards in this area and a level playing field across the EU. They will provide the common framework and language which are indispensable for effective joint assessment of recovery plans for cross-border groups and will form part of the European Single Rulebook in banking.

The Joint Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities (the European Banking Authority, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority and the European Securities and Markets Authority) published today its decision in an appeal brought by SV Capital OÜ, an Estonian company, against a decision of the EBA. This was the second appeal to be considered by the Board of Appeal in this matter between the same parties concerning the question whether the suitability of the managers of a significant branch of a bank raised a question of Union law.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. National authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European banking Authority (EBA) published today revised Guidelines on (i) the data collection exercise regarding high earners and (ii) on the remuneration benchmarking exercise. The update ensures that the data collection is in line with the amended provisions laid down in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD IV), which provides for higher quality of the collected data and will increase transparency of remuneration paid to high earners. The updated Guidelines repeal those published on 27 July 2012.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) setting out the general criteria against which a valuer should be assessed to determine whether (s)he complies with the legal requirement of independence when performing valuation tasks with respect to a bank under resolution. These RTS are part of the EBA's work to promote a consistent and coherent approach to bank resolution across the European Union and will contribute to the completion of the Single Rulebook in the EU banking sector. The consultation runs until 11 October 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a list of Q&As on the Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) data collection exercise, which was launched on 30 April 2014 with the aim of advising the European Commission on appropriate amendments to the CVA framework at EU level and inform discussions on the CVA risk charge in Basel.

The EBA launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines specifying the type of tests, review or exercises that may lead to extraordinary public support measures for institutions. These Guidelines are part of the EBA’s work to promote the consistent and coherent approach to bank resolution across the European Union. The consultation runs until 9 August 2014.

The EBA launched today two consultations on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on resolution planning and on draft Guidelines on measures to reduce or remove impediments to resolvability. These RTS and Guidelines are part of the EBA’s work to promote a consistent and coherent approach to bank resolution across the European Union. Both consultations run until 9 October 2014.

The EBA publishes today an Opinion on the macroprudential tools laid down in the Capital Requirement Regulation (CRR) and Directive (CRDIV). The Opinion assesses whether the current rules are effective, efficient and transparent as well as the possible degrees of overlap across different macroprudential tools and the consistency of the EU framework with global standards. The Opinion also includes policy recommendations that the EU Commission should consider in its review of the macroprudential toolkit.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an XBRL taxonomy to be used by competent authorities for remittance of data under the EBA Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. It presents the data items, business concepts, relations, visualisations and validation rules described by the EBA Data Point Model (DPM) contained in the ITS on supervisory reporting, including the amendments relating to asset encumbrance, forbearance and non-performing exposures. The taxonomy proposed by the EBA will lead to greater efficiency in and convergence of supervisory practices across Members States. The reference date is as of 30 September 2014 onwards and it includes the first reports under FINREP.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a final set of Guidelines that will support both originator institutions and competent authorities in the assessment of significant risk transfer (SRT) for securitisation transactions. These Guidelines will be part of the EU Single Rulebook in the banking sector and will ensure harmonised assessment and treatment of significant risk transfer across all EU Member States.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines for common procedures and methodologies for the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP). These guidelines will be applied in the supervision of all institutions across the Union and represent a major step forward in forging a consistent supervisory culture across the single market. The guidelines provide a common framework for the work of supervisors in their assessment of risks to banks’ business models’, their solvency and liquidity. These guidelines will be a key component of the EU Single Rulebook aimed at improving the functioning of the internal market, including a sound, effective and consistent level of regulation and supervision in the banking sector. The consultation runs until 7 October 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the conditions for assessing the materiality of extensions and changes of the Internal Models Approach (IMA) for market risk. These RTS complement and amend the standards on the rules for credit and operational risk which were adopted and published in the EU Official Journal on 20 May 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the minimum margin periods of risk (MPOR) that institutions acting as clearing members may use for the calculation of their capital requirements for exposures to clients. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to the EU Council, European Commission and European Parliament setting out the requirements that would be needed to regulate ‘virtual currencies’. The Opinion is also addressed to national supervisory authorities and advises to discourage financial institutions from buying, holding or selling virtual currencies while no regulatory regime is in place.

The EBA launched a public consultation on standards on colleges of supervisors and on standards on joint decisions on approval of internal models. The technical standards on colleges detail supervisory activities performed by colleges in going concern and emergency situations, while the ITS on joint decisions relate to the approval of internal models and detail the processes to be followed by competent authorities when reaching joint decisions. These standards aim at facilitating the interaction and cooperation between authorities at EU and global level and strengthening supervision of cross-border banking groups across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its technical advice to the European Commission on the use of a prudential filter for gains and losses arising from banks’ own credit risk of derivatives. The Authority considers as appropriate not to deviate from the current prudential approach applied at the international level under the Basel III rules, i.e. full deduction of institutions’ own credit risk of derivatives. The work of the EBA will inform the work of the EU Commission on the topic.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a series of lists in the field of credit risk, in accordance with the EU Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). These lists will assist EU institutions in the determination of their capital requirements for credit risk.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an opinion on the preferential capital treatment of covered bonds and a detailed report on the European covered bonds frameworks. While expressing support for the current approach laid down in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), the EBA recommends additional criteria to qualify for preferential treatment. The opinion also calls for further clarifications on current disclosure requirements and provides advice on the preferential treatment of some specific cover assets. Finally, based on the analysis presented in the report, the EBA has identified a series of best practices ensuring a robust and consistent regulatory framework for covered bonds.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on harmonised definitions and templates for funding plans of credit institutions. These Guidelines aim at harmonising reporting of funding plans across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on disclosure of encumbered and unencumbered assets. They are the first step towards a harmonised disclosure framework of asset encumbrance in the EU and have been drafted in accordance with Recommendation D of the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today public consultation on its draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) on disclosure of information related to the countercyclical capital buffer. These RTS will be part of the EU Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector. The consultation runs until 27 September 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying the conditions for the permanent and temporary uses of the Standardised Approach (SA) by institutions that have received permission to use the Internal Ratings Based (IRB) Approach. The EBA has identified the use of the SA as a major driver in the comparability of credit risk capital requirements. These RTS will be part of the EU Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector. The consultation runs until 26 September 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its fifth semi-annual report on risks and vulnerabilities of the EU banking sector. The report shows improvements in market sentiment and confidence which has allowed banks to increase their capital levels ahead of the 2014 EU-wide stress test and to continue the repair of their balance sheets. However, the report cautions about ongoing uncertainties on asset valuations and future profitability in an environment where the signs of recovery remain modest and fragile. The report also draws attention to looming redress costs related to conduct issues as well as to geo-political concerns in emerging markets, which could lead to risk aversion and to an impact on capital flows.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a report analysing the impact that the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits in conjunction with the deduction of net pension assets under the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and changes in net pension liabilities may have on the volatility of institutions' own funds. The report concluded that in most cases there may be limited volatility of own funds due to changes in the accounting and prudential requirements that derive from the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits and the CRR.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the minimum monetary amount of the professional indemnity insurance or comparable guarantee for mortgage credit intermediaries (RTS on PII).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, which also includes several rules which have been deactivated. National authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) should not be validated against the set of deactivated rules.

Consumer and investor protection is a common statutory objective of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) - the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). As part of delivering on this objective, and following the first Joint ESAs Consumer Protection Day last year in Paris, the ESAs organised the second Joint ESAs Consumer Protection Day on 4 June 2014 in London.

The EBA launches today a consultation on three Guidelines related to the information that institutions in the EU banking sector should disclose under Part Eight of the Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (Capital Requirements Regulation - CRR). These Guidelines have been merged into one single document and cover how institutions should apply materiality, proprietary and confidentiality in relation to the disclosure requirements, as well as how they should assess the frequency of their disclosures. This work will enhance consistency in disclosure practices across the EU and are part of the work of the EBA aimed at ensuring transparency in the EU banking sector. The consultation runs until 13 September 2014.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) published today their Joint Committee final Report on guidelines for handling consumer complaints in the securities and banking sectors. The document aims to increase market confidence and for the benefit of consumers and firms alike it will ensure a harmonised approach to handling complaints for all 28 EU Member States and across all financial services sectors.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a report providing a detailed analysis on remuneration practices across a sample of EU banks. The report, based on data collected on a consolidated basis from 2010 to 2012, sets benchmarks for different aspects of remuneration policies, and provides additional insight into the previously published data on “high earners” (staff earning EUR one million or more per year). Overall, the report shows an increasing trend in the remuneration paid to “risk takers”, as well as a material shift from variable to fixed remuneration.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) assessing the criteria that competent authorities need to consider before granting institutions permission to use advanced measurement approaches (AMA) for calculating their capital requirements for operational risk. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union. The consultation runs until 12 September 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a second report on the consistency of risk weighted assets (RWAs) in the residential mortgage portfolio. The report, which is part of a wider ongoing EBA work on comparability of RWAs, illustrates the findings of a so called “drill-down analysis”, an investigation on the extent to which the most commonly used risk drivers influence the variability in risk weights. Overall, the analysis confirmed that risk parameters, such as loan to value, are drivers of RWAs. However, there are differences in how the banks reflect such drivers in RWAs.

The supervisory reporting templates, including those on liquidity, contained in the Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting drafted by the European Banking Authority (EBA), adopted by the European Commission (EC) on 16 April 2014 and due to be published soon in the EU Official Journal, are a correct legal transposition of the relevant provisions laid down in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today the interactive Single Rulebook, an on-line tool designed to facilitate navigation through the single set of harmonised prudential rules in the EU banking sector. The Single Rulebook aims at ensuring consistent application of the regulatory banking framework across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has introduced some important changes to the Single Rulebook Q&A tool. The major changes focus on the stricter prioritisation of incoming questions, more stringent criteria for submitting questions, grouping of questions which raise related issues, and a new publication policy for questions and answers.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the methodology for identifying Global Systemically Important Institutions (G-SIIs), final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on special disclosure rules applicable to G-SIIs, and final guidelines on special disclosure rules for large institutions. The identification of G-SIIs in the EU is aligned with the framework established by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS). These standards and guidelines will be part of the EU Single Rulebook in banking and aim at enhancing regulatory harmonisation and disclosure across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on disclosure for the leverage ratio. These standards will be part of the EU Single Rulebook in the banking sector and aim at harmonising disclosure of the leverage ratio across the EU by providing institutions with uniform templates and instructions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a list of capital instruments across the EU that national supervisory authorities have classified as Common Equity Tier 1. This list, which was compiled in accordance with Article 26 of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), is based on the information received from the 28 national competent authorities across the EU and includes all the CET1 instruments issued by institutions and evaluated as compliant by the national supervisory authorities. The list will be maintained and updated on a regular basis.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) and Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) aimed at specifying the EU framework for the conduct of annual supervisory benchmarking of internal approaches for calculating own funds requirements for credit and market risk exposures (RWAs). The consultation runs until 19 August 2014.

The European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a third version of the classification system that links their respective reporting frameworks. This common system, which will support EU banks in their reporting exercise to both the EBA and the ECB, supersedes the second version published in March 2012 and aims at providing a better understanding of the links between the two different reporting frameworks of the ECB and the EBA, while creating synergies between datasets that were originally designed for different purposes.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) is organising the second Joint ESAs Consumer Protection Day on 4 June 2014 in London. The event will bring together consumers, regulators and industry participants to discuss consumer protection-related issues in the financial services area in the European Union.

This edition of the EBA Annual Report takes stock of the first three years of activity of the Authority which contributed to the repair of the EU banking system by promoting the cleaning of EU banks' balance sheets and strengthening their capital position. The EBA also brought forward its work on the development of a truly uniform set of regulatory standards that will lead to a genuine level playing field in the EU banking sector and a truly integrated single market.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued a revised list of incorrect validation rules found in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The Authority informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be validated against the previously published set of incorrect rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA), following the launch of the data collection exercise on Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) on 30 April 2014, released today an updated version of the template that participating banks will be requested to fill in as well as a set of relevant instructions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion following the notification by the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) of its intention to modify capital requirements in order to address an increase in macroprudential or systemic risk that could have a severe impact on the financial system and the Belgian real economy. Based on the evidence submitted by the NBB, the EBA does not object the adoption of the proposed measures, which are in line with Article 458 of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a call for research papers in view of its third policy research workshop taking place on 25-26 November 2014 in London on the topic "How to measure the riskiness of banks".

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) to specify the treatment of equity exposures under the internal ratings-based (IRB) approach. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union. The consultation runs until 7 July 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the first risk dashboard for 2014 summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the banking sector in the European Union (EU), based on the evolution of Key Risk Indicators (KRI) from 55 banks across the EU in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a data collection exercise to advise the European Commission on appropriate amendments to the European Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) framework and inform discussions on the CVA risk charge in Basel. Banks with substantial portfolios of OTC derivatives are encouraged to participate in this data collection exercise on a voluntary basis.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) released today its methodology and macroeconomic scenarios for the 2014 EU-wide stress test. While the extensive process of banks’ balance sheet repair is already underway, the test, designed to assess banks’ resilience to hypothetical external shocks, will identify remaining vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector and will provide a high level of transparency into EU banks’ exposures.

The EBA published today its 2014 action plan for colleges of supervisors of European Economic Area (EEA) banks. The plan identifies key activities, necessary in 2014 for the effective oversight of Europe's cross border banking groups, and is issued alongside a report providing an assessment on the colleges functioning during 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued a list of incorrect validation rules found in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The Authority informed that as a consequence, data submitted in accordance with these Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) should not be validated against the published set of incorrect rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) welcomed the adoption by the European Commission (EC) of its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. In accordance with an Opinion issued by the EBA, the remittance dates of the first set of supervisory reports will be postponed from April/May 2014 to end June 2014, but there is no change to reference dates. This decision will ensure legal coherence and clarity given the later than scheduled entry into force of the ITS.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) informs on an addendum to its work plan for 2014 following a series of calls for advice from the European Commission. The additional work will mostly consist of technical advice on a number of topics related to provisions in the CRR/CRD. It will inform the European Commission in the preparation of reports to the European Parliament and the Council and, where appropriate, legislative acts.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) launched today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (‘RTS’) outlining the framework of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). These RTS cover the risk management procedures for counterparties in non-centrally cleared OTC derivatives, the criteria concerning intragroup exemptions and the definitions of practical and legal impediments. The consultation will allow gathering public views on how to ensure a proportionate implementation of the requirements, as well as any other specific aspects that need discussion. The consultation runs until 14 July 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today consultations on its revised Guidelines on the data collection exercise for high earners and on its Guidelines on the remuneration benchmarking exercise. The updates to these two Guidelines, which had originally been published on 27 July 2012, follow on from changes in reporting requirements as laid down in the Capital Requirements Directive and Regulation (CRDIV and CRR). Both public consultations will run until 07/05/2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) laying out the requirements related to prudent valuation adjustments of fair valued positions. The objective of these draft RTS is to determine prudent values that can achieve an appropriate degree of certainty while taking into account the dynamic nature of trading book positions. These standards will be part of the EU Single Rulebook in banking aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Implementing and Regulatory Technical Standards (ITS and RTS) related to liquidity requirements. The package includes: (i) final draft ITS on currencies for which the justified demand for liquid assets exceeds their availability; (ii) final draft RTS on derogations for eligible currencies; and (iii) final draft ITS listing the currencies with an extremely narrow definition of central bank eligibility. These final draft Technical Standards will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union (EU) and namely at strengthening its resilience against liquidity risk.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on additional collateral outflows. These final draft RTS aim at strengthening resilience against liquidity risk in the EU banking sector and will be part of the EU Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation across the sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on own funds (Part IV) aimed at setting harmonised criteria for instruments with multiple distributions that would create a disproportionate drag on capital, as well as clarifying the meaning of preferential distributions. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook in banking aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the European Union (EU) and at strengthening the quality of capital.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines for the calculation of the discount rate for variable remuneration and clarifying how it should be applied. These Guidelines will support EU Member States in the calculation of the ratio between the variable and fixed component of total remuneration and refer to services or performances provided from 2014 onwards.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issues today an alert that its name and logo are being used to validate email scams aiming at obtaining money or personal details. Most scams fraudulently claim that the EBA have a role in approving financial transactions to and from the European Union (EU). Samples of such emails are being flagged to the EBA from all over the world.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on a revised version of its XBRL Taxonomy for supervisory reporting, which incorporates additional reporting requirements for asset encumbrance, non-performing exposures and forbearance. This consultation aims at ensuring that the data national competent authorities collect from credit institutions and investment firms is transmitted to the EBA in a uniform and consistent manner. The consultation runs until 14 April 2014.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs - EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Guidelines on the convergence of practices aimed at ensuring consistency of supervisory coordination arrangements for financial conglomerates. This public consultation will run until 12 June 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the conditions according to which competent authorities (CAs) may grant institutions permission to use relevant data covering shorter time series (data waiver permission), when estimating risk parameters. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union. The consultation runs until 7 June 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today its fifth report of the Basel III monitoring exercise on the European banking system. This exercise, run in parallel with the one conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) at a global level, allowed to gather aggregate results on capital, Risk Weighted Assets (RWAs), liquidity and leverage ratios for banks in the European Union (EU).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a report on the leverage ratio which provides a policy analysis and a quantitative assessment of the impact that would derive from aligning the current Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) definitions of the leverage ratio's exposure measure to the revised standard published by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) on 12 January 2014 (‘Basel III’). The EBA has produced the report on its own initiative to provide recommendations to the European Commission in view of its forthcoming delegated act on the definitions of leverage ratio.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) aimed at specifying the minimum margin periods of risk (MPOR) that institutions acting as clearing members may use for the calculation of their capital requirements for exposures to clients. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union. The consultation runs until 9 May 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its annual report on consumer trends, giving an overview of the analysis carried out in the area of consumer protection and financial innovation. The report identifies the consumer issues that may arise, or have arisen, from these trends, and describes the approaches the EBA will be taking in 2014 to address them.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) have today published the results of their joint review of the Euribor-EBF. The review found that Euribor-EBF has made significant progress in implementing the ESMA-EBA Recommendations addressing weaknesses and shortcomings in its governance and technical framework. This progress provides the basis for improved transparency of the benchmark-setting process, enhanced governance of the benchmark, and improved quality of the resulting index.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on classes of instruments that can be used for the purposes of variable remuneration. These RTS are part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a discussion paper on the impact on the volatility of own funds of the revised International Accounting Standard for employee benefits (IAS 19) and the deduction of defined benefit pension assets from own funds in accordance with the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) . The input gathered from this discussion paper will assist or inform the EBA in the preparation of its report to the European Commission on this topic. The consultation runs until 14 April 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today the risk dashboard for Q4 2013, summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the banking sector in the European Union (EU). The dashboard looks at the evolution of Key Risk Indicators (KRI) from 55 banks across the EU in the third quarter of 2013.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA - ESAs) published today its final Report on mechanistic references to credit ratings in the ESAs’ guidelines and recommendations and on the definition of “sole and mechanistic reliance” on such ratings.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA - ESAs) launched today a consultation on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the mapping of the credit assessments to risk weights of External Credit Assessment Institution (ECAIs). These ITS will be part of the Single Rulebook in banking aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation across the European Union (EU). The consultation runs until 5 May 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) announced today the key components of the forthcoming 2014 EU-wide stress test that will be conducted on a wide sample of EU banks. The objective of the EU-wide stress tests is to help supervisors assess the resilience of financial institutions in the European Union to adverse market developments. This exercise aims at ensuring consistency and comparability of the outcomes across all banks based on a common methodology, scenarios and accompanied by a consistent disclosure exercise.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Recommendation on the use of unique identification codes for supervisory purposes for every credit and financial institution in the European Union. This Recommendation is a major step forward in harmonizing the identification of legal entities, in line with proposals by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) endorsed by the G20, to ensure consistent and comparable data.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on own funds requirements for investment firms based on fixed overheads. These RTS harmonise the calculation of capital requirements for those investment firms that have limited authorisation to provide investment services, as well as the conditions under which competent authorities can make adjustments to such requirements. These final draft RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in Europe.

The three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) sent a joint letter to the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Mr Michael Barnier, on the Philippe Maystadt report “Should IFRS standards be more European?” in order to share their concerns on potential implications of this report.

On 10 January 2014, the Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities handed down its decision on an appeal by the appellant, Global Private Rating Company “Standard Rating” Ltd, against the refusal by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to register it as a credit rating agency. This is the first appeal against a decision by ESMA refusing an applicant registration as a credit rating agency.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the definition of market and its final draft RTS on Credit Valuation Adjustment risk (CVA risk). The latter is supplemented by an Opinion on CVA risk which further elaborates on the approach taken by the EBA in determining a proxy spread. The standards will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union (EU).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published its final Guidelines on capital measures for FX lending to unhedged borrowers under the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP). These Guidelines bring forward supervisory convergence across the EU and address the ESRB Recommendation, following their 2011 Report on lending in Foreign Currencies, mandating the EBA to draft Guidelines on this specific aspect.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today two Reports on liquidity, namely (i) on the impact assessment for liquidity coverage requirements and (ii) on appropriate uniform definitions of extremely high quality liquid assets (extremely HQLA) and high quality liquid assets (HQLA) and on operational requirements for liquid assets. These two reports provide the European Commission with specific recommendations for the purpose of its forthcoming delegated act.

The EBA launched today a public consultation on draft Guidelines on disclosure of encumbered and unencumbered assets aimed at providing transparent and harmonised information on the subject across EU Member States. The consultation runs until 20 March 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the method for the identification of the geographical location of the relevant credit exposures. These RTS ensure a consistent EU wide implementation of the countercyclical buffer (CCB) to protect against excess credit growth.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its fourth semi-annual report on risks and vulnerabilities of the EU banking sector. The report identifies improvements in market confidence, funding and capital positions. However, it cautions about ongoing uncertainties on asset valuations and future profitability in a fragile economic environment. The report also draws attention to the risks of detrimental business practices and puts forward possible measures for addressing such vulnerabilities through coordinated policy and supervisory actions.

The EBA launched today a public consultation on draft Guidelines proposing harmonised definitions and templates for funding plans of credit institutions. These Guidelines aim at harmonising the way the reporting of funding plans is conducted. The consultation runs until 20 March 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its technical advice on possible treatments of unrealised gains measured at fair value. The advice provides specific recommendations that will inform the European Commission (EC) as to whether changes to legislation should be introduced in order to sterilise the effect of unrealised gains on regulatory capital (so-called “prudential filters”).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) which specify the format, structure, contents list and annual publication date of the supervisory information to be disclosed by competent authorities in the banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the reporting of the hypothetical capital of a central counterparty (CCP). These final draft ITS specify calculations and reporting frequencies and templates for the information relating to hypothetical capital that a CCP has to deliver to all the credit institutions and investment firms that are clearing members for the purpose of calculating their own capital requirements. The same information has to be reported to the competent authorities.

The EBA published today a discussion paper on the methodology for the assessment of liquidity and funding risk under supervisory review. The document, which contains a preliminary version of the common methodology for assessing liquidity and funding risk, aims at helping competent authorities and colleges of supervisors assess liquidity and funding risk and reach joint decisions on liquidity. This methodology will be part of the final SREP guidelines, which will be published for consultation in mid 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on a draft Regulatory Technical Standard (RTS) on the minimum monetary amount of the professional indemnity insurance or comparable guarantee for mortgage credit intermediaries. These RTS refer to Article 29(2)(a) of the proposed Directive on credit agreements relating to immovable residential property (Mortgage Credit Directive - MCD).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on additional liquidity monitoring metrics. The ITS provide supervisors with an adequate toolkit to assess the liquidity risk profile of institutions. The standards will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union (EU).

In the context of its ongoing work on comparability of RWAs, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published today three reports: (i) an interim report on the consistency of RWAs in SMEs and residential mortgages portfolios; (ii) a report on the comparability of supervisory rules and practices; and (iii) a report on variability of RWAs for market risk portfolios. Furthermore, the EBA also released its report on the pro-cyclicality of banks’ capital requirements, which supplements the work on comparability, together with a summary report that compiles all the work on comparability of RWAs for IRB models.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) and Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) related to market risk. In particular, the EBA published (i) RTS on the definition of materiality thresholds for specific risk in the trading book; (ii) ITS on closely correlated currencies; (iii) RTS on non-delta risk of options in the standardised market risk approach; and (iv) ITS on appropriately diversified indices. The standards will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union (EU).

The European Banking Authority published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on securitisation retention rules and related requirements, as well as its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the convergence of supervisory practices related to the implementation of additional risk weights in the case of non-compliance with the retention rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on draft Guidelines providing guidance to both originator institutions and competent authorities when assessing significant risk transfer (SRT) for securitisation transactions. These Guidelines will be part of the EU Single Rulebook in the banking sector and will ensure harmonised assessment and treatment of significant risk transfer across all EU Member States. The public consultation runs until 17 March 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) disclosed today updated information on 64 European banks from 21 countries of the European Economic Area (EEA). The data covers the first half of 2013 and is based on 730,000 data points including capital, Risk Weighted Assets (RWAs) and sovereign exposures. Through this disclosure exercise, the EBA aims to promote greater understanding of capital positions and exposures of EU banks, thus contributing to market discipline and financial stability in the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) disclosed today updated information on 64 European banks from 21 countries of the European Economic Area (EEA). The data covers the first half of 2013 and is based on 730,000 data points including capital, Risk Weighted Assets (RWAs) and sovereign exposures. Through this disclosure exercise, the EBA aims to promote greater understanding of capital positions and exposures of EU banks, thus contributing to market discipline and financial stability in the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) and Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on information exchange between home and host competent authorities regarding branches and service providers. The draft Technical Standards do not introduce any direct reporting requirements, but propose a structured and consistent process in the provision of key supervisory information across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on joint decisions on institution-specific prudential requirements. These ITS will ensure uniform conditions of application of the joint decision process - on capital and liquidity - between consolidating supervisors and relevant competent authorities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on own funds ‘Part three', which set out criteria to deduct indirect and synthetic holdings, to define broad market indices and to calculate minority interest. These final draft RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in Europe and namely at strengthening the quality of capital.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) and Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on passport notifications. These RTS and ITS aim to specify the information that needs to be notified to competent authorities, as well as forms, templates and procedures underlying the submission of passport notifications

The European Banking Authority (EBA) agreed on its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on criteria to identify categories of staff whose professional activities have a material impact on an institution’s risk profile. These identified staff will be subject to provisions related, in particular, to the payment of variable remuneration. The EBA will submit the draft RTS on 16 December 2013 to the European Commission. They are part of the EBA work on the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union (EU).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a warning on a series of risks deriving from buying, holding or trading virtual currencies such as Bitcoins. The EBA said that consumers are not protected through regulation when using virtual currencies as a means of payment and may be at risk of losing their money. It also added that there is no guarantee that currency values remain stable The warning was issued while the Authority assesses further all relevant aspects associated with virtual currencies, in order to identify whether virtual currencies can and should be regulated and supervised.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on the methodology for identifying Global Systemically Important Institutions (G-SIIs). The work aims at ensuring a transparent identification process in line with international regulatory work on global systemically important banks. The public consultation runs until 28 February 2014 and covers the draft RTS on the methodology for identifying G-SIIs, and draft ITS and Guidelines on the disclosure of the value of indicators used in the identification process.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a follow-up review aimed at assessing the disclosures made by 19 European institutions in response to the Basel Pillar 3 requirements, as set out in the EU Capital Requirements Directive (CRD). Overall, despite improvements in some specific areas, credit institutions’ compliance with disclosure requirements remains unchanged compared to last year’s assessment where no bank had fully met all the requirements. The report also highlighted that comparability and consistency of disclosures between the different institutions could be improved.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on retail deposits subject to different outflows. The document aims at providing greater harmonisation in the reporting of retail deposits in the EU banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) which define the conditions and methodologies used to determine the overall exposure to a client or group of connected clients resulting from an exposure to a transaction with underlying assets and the risks inherent in the structure of the transaction itself. The standards will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union (EU).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final regulatory technical standards (RTS) specifying the conditions for assessing the materiality of extensions and changes of internal approaches for credit and operational risk. These RTS will be part of the Single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in Europe.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its XBRL taxonomy to be used for remittance of data under the Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. The taxonomy defines a representation for data collection under the reporting requirements related to own funds, financial information, losses stemming from lending collateralised by immovable property, large exposures, leverage ratio and liquidity ratios. It presents the data items, business concepts, relations, visualisations and validation rules described by the EBA Data Point Model contained in the ITS on supervisory reporting.

The EBA published today a report on the remuneration of EU bank staff who received one million Euro or more in total in 2012. Figures show that the number of high earners was limited in most Member States and quite significant in some others. The report is part of the EBA’s work on bank staff remuneration policies aimed at ensuring prudent and sustainable risk taking in the EU banking sector.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities published today eight principles applicable to the oversight and governance processes of financial products. These principles cover in particular the responsibilities of manufacturers and producers in setting up processes, functions and strategies for designing and marketing financial products, as well as at reviewing the products’ life cycle.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on own funds (Part IV) aimed at setting harmonised criteria for instruments with multiple distributions that would create a disproportionate drag on capital, as well as clarifying the meaning of preferential distributions. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook in banking aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in Europe and namely at strengthening the quality of capital. The consultation runs until 24 January 2014.

On 17 January 2014, the European Banking Authority (EBA) will host a full-day legal workshop, which will bring together policymakers, supervisors, and legal academics to discuss the latest developments in the EU’s regulatory and institutional landscape.

On 28 November 2013 the European Banking Authority (EBA) will host a public workshop aimed at providing the preliminary findings of its 2013 report on the implementation of the disclosures requirements (Pillar 3) of the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the peer review on the implementation of the EBA guidelines on stress testing . The aim of the peer review was to assess and compare the effectiveness of the supervisory activities related to the review of credit institutions’ own stress testing frameworks across the EU, as well as the implementation of related provisions by competent authorities. The report shows that National Competent Authorities (NCAs) largely comply with the three assessed guidelines (18, 19 and 20).

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA - ESAs) is launching today a one-month public consultation on the removal of mechanistic references to credit ratings in their guidelines and on the definition of sole and mechanistic reliance on such ratings.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) have jointly launched a consultation on guidelines for complaints handling in the securities and markets sectors. The proposed Guidelines will build on the existing guidelines on complaints handling by insurance undertakings published by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) in June 2012. The consultation runs until 7 February 2014.

The EBA's Banking Stakeholders Group (BSG) has re-elected Mr David Llewellyn as its Chairperson. The election took place during the first meeting of the newly appointed EBA's Banking Stakeholders Group (BSG) on 30 October 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final implementing technical standards (ITS) on reporting for asset encumbrance. These ITS, which will be part of the EU Single Rulebook in banking, provide reporting templates and instructions with the ultimate aim of ensuring harmonised reporting of asset encumbrance across institutions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated list of FAQs on the Prudent Valuation Quantitative Impact Study (QIS), amending the version published on 3 October 2013. Changes and/or clarifications to the FAQs are marked in red in the excel file.

The EBA informs that as of today’s date any final answers to questions submitted under the Single Rulebook Q&A tool will be published on Fridays between 12pm and 1pm GMT. Please note that as the EBA will be closed Friday 1 November (EU public holiday), any publication this week will take place on Thursday 31 October between 12pm and 1pm GMT instead.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today its first risk dashboard, summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the banking sector in the European Union (EU). The dashboard looks at the evolution of Key Risk Indicators (KRI) from 56 banks across the EU and points to significant improvements, particularly in terms of strengthened capital base.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on a Recommendation on the use of the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI). The document will require all entities for which information is required under EU reporting obligations to obtain a pre-Legal Entity Identifier (pre-LEI) code for reporting purposes.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on disclosure for leverage ratio. These standards will be part of the EU Single Rulebook in the banking sector and aim at harmonising disclosure of the leverage ratio across the EU by providing institutions with uniform templates and instructions. The consultation runs until 24 January 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation paper on draft Guidelines setting out the calculation of the discount rate for variable remuneration and clarify how it should be applied. The consultation will run until 18 January 2014.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today three consultations on draft technical standards (ITS and RTS) related to liquidity requirements. In particular, the EBA will be consulting on 1) draft ITS on currencies for which the justified demand for liquid assets exceeds their availability; 2) draft RTS on derogations for eligible currencies; and 3) draft ITS listing the currencies with an extremely narrow definition of central bank eligibility. All three consultations will run until 22 December 2013.

On 5 December 2013, the European Banking Authority (EBA) will host a workshop on stress testing. This one-day seminar will bring together high-level speakers from commercial banks, as well as from regulatory and supervisory authorities, to discuss the most recent issues regarding stress testing in banks, stress tests as a risk management tool, as well as stress testing from a regulatory perspective.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) released today its final technical standards on supervisory reporting on Non-Performing Exposures and Forbearance, which will provide consistent indicators of asset quality of banks across the European Union. The EBA also issued recommendations on asset quality reviews (AQRs) aimed at supporting existing and/or planned reviews across the EU.

The EBA announced today the new composition of its Banking Stakeholder Group (BSG). The group, which now enters its second term of work, has the important role of facilitating consultation and dialogue with stakeholders in all the areas relevant to the tasks of the EBA. Newly appointed and reappointed members from the previous term will represent in a balanced way consumers, users and employees, as well as academia and various types of credit and investment institutions across the EU.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) is organising a Policy Research Workshop to discuss measures on how to regulate and resolve systemically important institutions. This workshop, which will bring together leading economists from supervisory authorities, as well as top-academics, provides a forum for presenting academic papers on policy issues on this topic that are relevant at EU and global level.

The Joint Committee publishes the 2013 List of Identified Financial Conglomerates. The latest version of the list shows 75 financial conglomerates with the head of group in an EU/EEA country, one with the head of group in Australia, two with the head of the group in Switzerland, and two with the head of group in the United States

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued its Banking Stakeholder Group (BSG) end of term of office report. The document covers the outputs of the Group between March 2011 and September 2013, as well as information on its working methodology and its interaction with the EBA.

New or significantly revised mandates were introduced for the EBA following the finalisation of the Capital Requirements Directive IV (CRDIV) and of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), published in the Official Journal on 27 June 2013, and their corrigenda of 2 August 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an updated list of FAQs on the Prudent Valuation Quantitative Impact Study (QIS). Changes and/or clarifications to the FAQs are marked in red in the excel file.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published its work programme for 2014, describing the main objectives and deliverables of the EBA in the forthcoming year. Activities will focus on three core areas: regulation, oversight and consumer protection.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA, EIOPA) publishes today its Work Programme for next year. Throughout 2014, the Joint Committee will give high priority to the areas of Consumer Protection and Cross-Sectoral Risk Analysis, as in the current year.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on close correspondence between the fair value of an institution's covered bonds and the fair value of its assets. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the EU.

This statement was delivered during the annual public hearing of the chairpersons of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) of the European Parliament.

Andrea Enria, Chairperson of the EBA, gave a speech today in Frankfurt at the 2013 ESE Conference on the Future of European financial supervision: "The new role of the European Banking Authority in the Banking Union".

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today its fourth report of the Basel III monitoring exercise on the European banking system. This exercise, run in parallel with the one conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) at global level, allowed to gather aggregate results on capital, Risk Weighted Assets (RWAs), liquidity and leverage ratios for banks in the European Union (EU).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) will hold a public hearing in London on 23 October 2013 on the draft reports to be submitted to the EU Commission relating to the economic impact assessment of quantitative liquidity regulation and the definition of liquid assets under Article 509 of the Capital Requirements Regulation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on the draft XBRL Taxonomy for second level supervisory reporting. This consultation document, which is based on the EBA’s final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) and the related Data Point Model(s) (DPM), aims at ensuring that the data that national competent authorities collect from credit institutions and investment firms is transmitted to the EBA in a uniform and consistent manner. This consultation runs until 9 October 2013.

On 22 October 2013, the European Banking Authority (EBA) will host a workshop on how the proportionality principle should be applied on the EBA regulatory work within the context of the CRR/CRDIV. Proportionality is a key aspect for the application of the new EU banking regulatory framework and ensures that all institutions across the EU can apply standards and requirements in a manner that is proportionate to their nature, scale and complexity.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) setting out criteria for identifying the geographical location of all relevant credit exposures, namely credit risk, trading book and securitisation exposures. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the European Union (EU). The consultation runs until 1 November 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) released today its second interim report on the regulatory consistency of risk-weighted assets (RWAs) for credit risk in the banking book. This report illustrates the outcomes of the next stage in the EBA's review into RWA consistency in sovereigns, institutions and large corporate exposures, generally referred to as low default portfolios (LDP). The aim was to identify and further understand the sources of any material differences in RWA outcomes for portfolios which are specifically challenging for the banks due to limited availability of data. This analysis is closely aligned with the global work of the Basel Committee which recently released the results of their report.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a discussion paper on possible treatments of unrealised gains of assets and liabilities measured at fair value, other than including them in Common Equity Tier 1 without adjustment. The input gathered from this discussion paper will assist the EBA in providing its technical advice to the European Commission on this topic. The consultation runs until 27 September 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Guidelines on retail deposits subject to different outflows aimed at providing greater harmonisation in the reporting of retail deposits in the EU banking sector. The consultation runs until 1 October 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) assessing the minimum materiality needed to implement internal approaches for calculating own fund requirements related to risks associated with debts instruments in the trading book. These RTS will be part of the Single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the EU banking sector. The consultation runs until 15 October 2013.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) has published its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the consistent application of the calculation methods described in the Financial Conglomerates Directive (FICOD) covering the assessment of the financial situation of credit institutions, insurance undertakings and investment firms which are part of a financial conglomerate.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting. They set out reporting requirements related to own funds, financial information, losses stemming from lending collateralised by immovable property, large exposures, leverage ratio and liquidity ratios. These draft ITS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in the EU and facilitating a proper functioning of cross-border supervision.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) and final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on own funds, as well as its final draft RTS on credit risk adjustment (CRA). These final draft RTS and ITS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in Europe and namely at strengthening the quality of capital.

Following the publication of the Consultation Paper on draft RTS on prudent valuation, the EBA launched today a Quantitative Impact Study (QIS) to assess the capital impact of the proposals for the calculation of additional value adjustments (AVAs). This QIS, which will be carried out in co-ordination with the National Supervisory Authorities, will also be used to calibrate the thresholds and underlying assumptions of AVAs.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Recommendation on capital preservation addressed to supervisory authorities in all EU Member States. The Recommendation aims to preserve the enhanced capital base that banks built by 30 June 2012, in response to the EBA’s 2011 recapitalisation Recommendation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on close correspondence between the fair value of an institution’s covered bonds and the fair value of its assets. These RTS will be part of the Single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the EU. The consultation runs until 1 September 2013.

The European banking Authority (EBA) published today its third semi-annual report on risks and vulnerabilities of the EU banking sector. The report analyses the main developments and trends affecting the sector in the current year and provides an outlook of the main micro-prudential risks and vulnerabilities, as well as of related policy implications. The report also puts forward possible measures for addressing these risks through coordinated policy and supervisory actions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on own funds requirements for investment firms based on fixed overheads. These RTS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in Europe. The consultation runs until 30 September 2013.

The EBA published today a report featuring data on the remuneration of EU bank staff who received one million Euro or more in total in 2010 and 2011. The report focuses on the gathering of numerical data and provides a first analysis of remuneration structures across the EU. Overall, results show that the number of high earners is limited in most member states, but quite significant in others.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on the reporting of the hypothetical capital of a central counterparty (CCP). These ITS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the banking sector in Europe. The consultation runs until 30 September 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a public consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) setting out the requirements related to prudent valuation adjustments of fair valued positions. The objective of these draft RTS is to determine prudent values that can achieve an appropriate degree of certainty while taking into account the dynamic nature of trading book positions. The consultation runs until 8 October 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) which specify the format, structure, contents list and annual publication date of the supervisory information to be disclosed by competent authorities in the banking sector. These ITS will be part of the Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in Europe. The consultation runs until 9 October 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today two public consultations on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) and on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) related to how competent authorities collaborate and exchange information regarding institutions operating through branches and regarding the freedom of provision of services in one or more EU Member States other than that in which head offices are situated. The consultations run until 8 October 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a second consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) for credit valuation adjustment risk (CVA) to further specify how a proxy spread should be determined for the calculation of own funds requirements and to provide additional details on a limited number of smaller portfolios. These RTS will be part of the Single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in Europe. The consultation runs until 25 September 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a new online “Single Rulebook Q&A” tool which will allow institutions, supervisors and other stakeholders to submit their questions on the CRD IV package, on the related Technical Standards developed by the EBA and adopted by the European Commission (RTS and ITS), as well as on the EBA Guidelines.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (Joint Committee) held its first Consumer Protection Day on 25 June 2013 in Paris. Consumer protection is a major objective for the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs – EBA, ESMA, EIOPA) and under the auspices of the Joint Committee, they continue to place this high on their agenda for 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on amendments and additions to CEBS Guidelines on interest rate risk from non-trading activities (IRRBB) published on 3 October 2006. The proposed changes are aimed at improving the management of IRRBB risks by institutions, and to promote the convergence of supervisory practices in reviewing and evaluating institutions under the Pillar 2 assessment process. The consultation runs until 27 September 2013.

The European Banking Authority publishes today two consultation papers on draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) to identify (i) a list of relevant closely correlated currencies for the purposes of calculating the capital requirements for foreign-exchange risk; and (ii) a list of relevant appropriately diversified indices for the purposes of calculating the capital requirements for equity risk. The consultations of both draft ITS run until 8 September 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today its 2012 Annual Report which provides an overview of the major achievements and activities performed by the Authority in its second year of existence. A separate publication summarising the key features of the 2012 Annual Report is also published and it will soon be available in all EU languages.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) publishes today two Opinions on good practices for (i) responsible mortgage lending and (ii) for the treatment of borrowers in mortgage payment difficulties. Both Opinions are addressed to competent authorities and aim at promoting common practices, with the ultimate view of enhancing consumer protection and contributing to the stability, integrity and effectiveness of the financial system.

Andrea Enria, Chairperson at the EBA, gave a speech today in Brussels at the European Commission public hearing on financial supervision in the EU: "Implications of the Single Supervisory Mechanism on the European System of Financial Supervision: the EBA perspective".

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on own funds (Part III) related to criteria to define broad market indices, the calculation of minority interest and the deduction of indirect and synthetic holdings. The consultation runs until 18 July 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on draft Guidelines on capital measures for foreign currency lending (FX lending) aimed at providing guidance to national competent authorities on how to deal with the specific risk of FX lending to unhedged borrowers as part of the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP). The consultation runs until 23 August 2013.

The European Banking Authority launches today two consultation papers on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) to define (i) the term market for the purpose of calculating the ‘general’ component of market risk for equities under the standardised rules; and (ii) a range of methods to reflect in the own funds requirements non-delta risks for options and warrants. The consultation of both draft RTS runs until 31 August 2013.

The European Banking Authority launches today a consultation paper on (i) draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) to specify the securitisation retention rules and related requirements and (ii) draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) to clarify the measures to be taken in the case of non-compliance with such obligations. The consultation runs until 22 August 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today two consultations on draft Regulatory and Implementing Technical Standards (RTS and ITS) on Passport Notifications aimed at specifying the information to be notified to the competent authorities as well as to develop standard forms, templates and procedures underlying the submission of passport notifications. Both consultations run until 21 August 2013.

The European Banking Authority launches today a consultation paper on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on criteria to identify categories of staff whose professional activities have a material impact on an institution’s risk profile. These material risk takers will be subject to specific provisions of the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) related, in particular, to the payment of variable remuneration. The consultation runs until 21 August.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today two consultations on Draft Regulatory Technical Standard (RTS) related to the assessment process of recovery plans by competent supervisors (I) and to the range of scenarios to be used in those plans (II). The consultations run until 20 August 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on Draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on institution-specific prudential requirements with a view to facilitating the reaching of effective joint decisions between the consolidating supervisor and the competent authorities responsible for the supervision of subsidiaries in a Member State. The consultation runs until 16 August 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a Call for expression of interest to prepare the renewal of its Banking Stakeholder Group (BSG). The deadline for application is 28 June 2013, 23:59 GMT.

The European Banking Authority launches today a consultation paper on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) to define the conditions and methodologies used to determine the overall exposure to a client or group of connected clients resulting from a transaction with underlying assets and the risks inherent in the structure of the transaction itself. The consultation runs until 16 August 2013.

The European Parliament has commissioned two studies reviewing the European System of Financial Supervision (ESFS). These studies will inform the deliberations of the European Parliament, in particular its Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs’ (ECON).

The EBA agreed today on recommendations to supervisors to conduct asset quality reviews on major EU banks. While banks’ capital positions were significantly strengthened under the EBA’s recapitalisation exercise, the objective of the asset quality exercises will be to review banks’ classifications and valuations of their assets so to help dispel concerns over the deterioration of asset quality due to macroeconomic conditions in Europe.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on definitions and associated reporting templates on forbearance and non-performing exposures. The consultation is open until 24 June 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on draft implementing technical standards (ITS) on reporting for asset encumbrance. The ITS, which will be part of the EU single rulebook, intend to develop reporting templates and instructions for asset encumbrance with the ultimate aim of ensuring a harmonised measure of asset encumbrance across institutions. The consultation runs until 24 June 2013.

The EBA published today a draft Data Point Model (DPM) based on its draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on Supervisory Reporting Requirements for Liquidity Coverage and Stable Funding (Consultation paper EBA/CP/2012/05 published on 7 June 2012). Interested parties are invited to provide comments on the DPM by 13 May 2013.

The EBA published today a draft Data Point Model (DPM) based on its draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on Supervisory Reporting Requirements for Leverage Ratio (Consultation paper EBA/CP/2012/06 published on 7 June 2012). Interested parties are invited to provide comments on the DPM by 13 May 2013.

The EBA publishes today an updated version of the templates, instructions, validation rules and data point model for implementing technical standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting (COREP and FINREP). The objective of this updated version is to facilitate credit institutions’ timely preparation for the implementation of the harmonised reporting requirements.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on draft technical standards (RTS) aimed at specifying the conditions for assessing the materiality of extensions and changes to internal approaches when calculating own funds requirements for credit, market and operational risk. These RTS will be part of the Single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in Europe. The consultation runs until 11 June 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standard (RTS) on the content of recovery plans. In doing so the EBA starts the preparatory work for the implementation of the Recovery and Resolution Directive (RRD) currently discussed by the EU legislators. The consultation runs until 11 June 2013.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a call for research papers in view of its second policy research workshop taking place on 14-15 November in London on the topic “How to regulate and resolve systemically important banks”.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) have published a warning to retail investors about the dangers of investing in contracts for difference (CFDs)

The European Banking Authority (EBA) releases today the interim results of its investigation on risk-weighted assets (RWAs) in the banking book aimed at identifying any material difference in RWA outcomes and at understanding the sources of such differences. This report, which illustrates the outcomes of the first phase of the investigation, is part of a wider EBA analysis on the consistency of RWAs, whose ultimate objective is to better understand the differences in the calculation of RWAs and, if need be, to formulate the necessary policy solutions to enhance convergence between banks and to improve disclosure.

The EBA issues today a discussion paper presenting the methodology and scope of its forthcoming analysis on definitions of highly liquid assets. The proposed methodology is based on a scorecard, which aims at producing an ordinal ranking of assets by combining a set of different liquidity indicators. Following the outcome of the analysis, the EBA will report to the European Commission on appropriate definitions of high and extremely high liquidity and credit quality of transferable assets for the purpose of the LCR.

The EBA publishes today a discussion paper on the retail deposits subject to higher outflows for the purposes of liquidity reporting under the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). This paper outlines the EBA’s preliminary thinking on a methodology for identifying retail deposits subject to higher outflows and for calculating the associated outflow rates. The consultation runs until 21 March 2013.

Following the publication of the consultation paper on Principles for Benchmarks-Setting Processes in the EU, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) are organising a public hearing at ESMA’s premises in Paris on Wednesday, 13 February 2013.

The EBA adopted a formal Recommendation to ensure that major EU cross-border banks develop group recovery plans by the end of 2013. The plans shall be submitted to the respective competent authorities and discussed within colleges of supervisors. The aim of the Recommendation is to spur the development of recovery plans and to foster convergence on the highest standards across the Union.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) have today published the results of their joint work on Euribor and propose principles for benchmark rate-setting processes.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) have today published the results of their joint work on Euribor and propose principles for benchmark rate-setting processes.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has adopted an Opinion in response to the consultation published by the European Commission on 5th October 2012 regarding a possible framework for the recovery and resolution of non-bank financial institutions.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) has today published a report on the application of AML/CTF obligations to, and the AML/CTF supervision of e-money issuers, agents and distributors in Europe.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its guidelines on the assessment of the suitability of members of the management body and key function holders. These Guidelines set out the process, criteria and minimum requirements for assessing the suitability of those persons and are ultimately aimed at ensuring robust governance arrangements and appropriate oversight.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) addressed a technical Opinion to the Cyprus Presidency of the Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament underlining the need for harmonising the different methodologies currently being used for the calculation of transitional floors and proposing the use of a consistent method based on the standardised approach.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a discussion paper presenting its preliminary views on the application of prudent valuation requirements to all positions that are measured at fair value, as provided for under Articles 31 and 100 of the draft Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). It also sets the EBA’s preliminary view on how valuation adjustments could in practice be applied by institutions in a consistent manner.

The European Banking Authority addressed an Opinion to the Cyprus Presidency of the Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament regarding some amendments introduced in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) in the Trilogue discussions.

This report, requested by the European Commission, analyses the appropriateness of the Risk Weights (RWs) for Retail SME lending proposed in the CRDIV/CRR framework and assesses the possible effects of a reduction by one third in relation to the current regulation and the effect of an increase from EUR 1 million to EUR 5 million on the regulatory thresholds for SMEs.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a follow-up review aimed at assessing the disclosures European banks’ made in response to the Pillar 3 requirements set out in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD). Overall, the EBA welcomes efforts made by banks to improve their disclosure practices and to comply with the new requirements introduced with CRD3. Nevertheless, the report notes that there is still room for improvements in Banks’ Pillar 3 disclosures, and the EBA intends to continue to press for such improvements.

The EBA publishes today it work programme for 2013. The annual work programme describes and summarises the main objectives and deliverables of the EBA in the forthcoming year. It is based on the tasks specified in the Regulation and in the relevant EU banking sector legislation.

The European Banking Authority discloses today the final report on its EU-wide recapitalisation exercise and the data on all individual banks. Overall, the exercise led to an increase of banks’ capital positions of more than €200bn. 27 banks with an initial shortfall that submitted capital plans have strengthened their capital position by €116bn. Considering the still challenging market environment, the EBA’s Board of Supervisors underlined the need for banks to maintain their capital levels in view of the implementation of the new regulatory framework. In this respect, the EBA will adopt a new Recommendation on capital conservation once the final CRD IV/CRR text is agreed.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) adopted today the draft technical standards on capital requirements for Central Counterparties (CCPs) under the EMIR Regulation. The draft standards will now be sent to the European Commission for their adoption. The EBA also adopted an Opinion on the same topic.

Initial statement of Andrea Enria, Chairperson of the EBA, in front of the Economic and Monetary affairs committee of the European Parliament. This statement was delivered during the annual public hearing of the chairpersons of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA).

The Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) has appointed William Blair, High Court Judge, Queen’s Bench Division, as its President and Juan Fernández-Armesto, Arbitrator, formerly Chairman of the Spanish Securities and Exchange Commission, as its Vice-President.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) launches today a public consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) for the calculation methods under Article 6.2 of the Financial Conglomerates Directive (FICOD). These RTS will be part of the Single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the European Union. The consultation runs until 5 October 2012.

The EBA organises on 13 September in London a workshop on the technical implementation of the new supervisory reporting requirements. UPDATE: workshop documents, including new ITS templates, have been uploaded.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) today published a Protocol for Supervisory Cooperation in the field of anti-money laundering (AML). The protocol is aimed at facilitating the cross-border exchange of information between national (home and host) supervisors overseeing agents and branches of payment institutions.

The finalisation and publication of the EBA draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting requirements for institutions has been pushed back pending the adoption by the EU legislators of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) addressed a request to the European Commission for a postponement of the deadline for the submission of the joint draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) on risk mitigation techniques for OTC derivatives contracts not cleared by a CCP.

The EBA published today two sets of Guidelines on the data collection exercise regarding high earners and on the remuneration benchmarking exercise. The objective of these Guidelines is to streamline the data collection and increase the consistency and comparability of the information collected by national competent authorities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the specification of the calculation of specific and general credit risk adjustments. These RTS will be part of the Single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in Europe. The consultation runs until 30 September.

On 19 March 2012, the European Commission’s Services issued a Green paper on Shadow Banking for public consultation. In accordance with Article 34(1) of Regulation No 1093/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing the European Banking Authority (EBA), the Board of Supervisors of the EBA has adopted this opinion with regard to the Green paper.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) for credit valuation adjustment risk on the determination of a proxy spread and the specification of a limited number of smaller portfolios. These RTS will be part of the Single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in Europe. The consultation runs until 15 September.

The annual report on Risks and Vulnerabilities of the European banking sector by the European Banking Authority (EBA) describes the main developments and trends that affected the EU banking sector in 2011.

The European Banking Authority published today an overview report on the implementation of the capital exercise. In line with the EBA’s Recommendation, the vast majority of the banks in the sample meet the required ratio of 9% Core Tier 1 (CT1). For the few banks that were not fully able to meet the capital level using private sources, backstop measures are currently being implemented to ensure they are in line with the EBA’s Recommendation. While the market environments remain challenging, the overall resilience of the European banking system has improved, without any significant adverse impact on lending into the real economy.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today an open consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the capital requirements for central counterparties (CCPs). These RTS are drafted according to the Regulation on OTC derivative transactions, central counterparties and trade repositories (EMIR). The consultation runs until 31 July 2012.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the concept of Gain on Sale associated with future margin income in a securitisation context. These RTS will be part of the single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in Europe. The consultation runs until 12 August 2012. A public hearing will take place on 28 June.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the concept of Gain on Sale associated with future margin income in a securitisation context. These RTS will be part of the single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in Europe. The consultation runs until 12 August 2012. A public hearing will take place on 28 June.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on Draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting requirements for liquidity coverage and stable funding. These ITS, which will be part of the EU single rulebook, intend to specify the main features (formats, frequencies, IT solutions) of prudential reporting to be applied by financial institutions in Europe. The consultation runs until 27 August 2012.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on Draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on Supervisory reporting requirements for leverage ratio. These ITS, which will be part of the EU single rulebook, intend to specify the main features (formats, frequencies, IT solutions) of prudential reporting to be applied by financial institutions in Europe. The consultation runs until 27 August 2012.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on Draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on disclosure for own funds. These draft ITS complement the first set of standards on own funds published last April and focus on the disclosure requirements to be met by institutions. Establishing appropriate disclosure requirements increases the transparency on regulatory capital held by European institutions and ultimately contributes to strengthening its quality and quantity. The consultation runs until 31 July 2012.

The EBA published today a draft Data Point Model (DPM) based on its draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting requirements for institutions (Consultation papers CP 50 published on 20 December 2011 and CP 51 published on 13 February 2012). Interest parties are invited to provide comments on the DPM by 11 June 2012.

The EBA published today a draft Data Point Model (DPM) based on its draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting requirements for institutions (Consultation papers CP 50 published on 20 December 2011 and CP 51 published on 13 February 2012). Interest parties are invited to provide comments on the DPM by 11 June 2012.

Andrea Enria, Chairperson of the EBA gave a speech at the 15th China Beijing International High Tech Expo China Financial Summit 2012 : "Financial integration and stability in Europe: the role of the European Banking Authority".

The EBA published today two sets of Guidelines on Stressed Value-At-Risk (Stressed VaR) and on the Incremental Default and Migration Risk Charge (IRC) modelling approaches employed by credit institutions using the Internal Model Approach (IMA).

The EBA published today two sets of Guidelines on Stressed Value-At-Risk (Stressed VaR) and on the Incremental Default and Migration Risk Charge (IRC) modelling approaches employed by credit institutions using the Internal Model Approach (IMA).

The EBA publishes today a discussion paper on a template for recovery plans aimed at encouraging discussion and at gathering stakeholders’ opinions at an early stage of the process. The discussion is open for comments until 15 June 2012.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) is launching today a three-month public consultation on the proposed response to the call for technical advice from the European Commission on the fundamental review of the Financial Conglomerates Directive (“the FICOD“).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) today publishes the responses to the questionnaire on the identification of users/investors needs on credit institutions Pillar 3 disclosures published on 4 April 2012.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on the draft guidelines on the assessment of the suitability of members of the management body and key function holders. The proposed Guidelines set out the process, criteria and minimum requirements for assessing the suitability of those persons.

Andrea Enria, Chairperson of the European Banking Authority gave a speech during the 21st Annual Hyman P. Minsky Conference on the State of the U.S. and World Economies, Debt, Deficits and Financial Instability.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) has today published two reports on the implementation of the third Money Laundering Directive [2005/60/EC] (3MLD).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launches today a consultation on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on own funds (Part one). This consultation groups fourteen RTS covering, among others, areas such as Common Equity Tier 1, Additional Tier 1, deductions from Common Equity Tier 1 and from own funds in general and transitional provisions on grandfathering. These RTS will be part of the single rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in Europe and namely at strengthening the quality of capital. The consultation runs until 4th July 2012.

The EBA publishes today a report on the results of the Basel III monitoring exercise, as a follow-up to the comprehensive European quantitative impact study (EU-QIS) conducted to analyse the impact of the new requirements and published in December 2010.

The European Banking Authority publishes today a Discussion Paper on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards on the capital requirements for CCPs foreseen by the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (Discussion Paper: EBA/DP/2012/1)

The EBA has submitted comments on the IASB's ED/2011/6 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted with regard to the accounting-related issues can be accessed here.

The European Banking Authority publishes today a Discussion Paper on Draft Regulatory Technical Standards on the capital requirements for CCPs foreseen by the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (Discussion Paper: EBA/DP/2012/1)

The EBA has had the opportunity to examine the issue of the envisaged new Top Level Domains (TLDs) ending in ‘.bank’ and ‘.fin’ in detail and to discuss it in the latest meeting of its Board of Supervisors in December 2011

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has today published its Guidelines on AMA extensions and changes (EBA/GL/2012/1). The aim is to harmonise processes regarding the supervisory approval of such changes and to assist institutions using the Advanced Measurement Approach (AMA) to further develop their AMA models.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published a formal Recommendation, and the final figures, related to banks’ recapitalisation needs. These measures form part of a broader European package, agreed by the European Council on 26 October and confirmed during the ECOFIN Council on 30 November, to address the current situation in the EU by restoring stability and confidence in the markets.

The EBA has submitted its comments onthe IASB's Agenda Consultation 2011. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted with regard to the accounting-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has submitted its comments regarding the IASB's Exposure Draft ED/2011/03 Mandatory Effective Date of IFRS 9. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted with regard to the accounting-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has submitted its comments on the IAASB's Consultation paper 'Enhancing the Value of Auditor Reporting: Exploring Options for Change'. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted with regard to the auditing-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has submitted its comments on the IAASB's ED ISAE 3000 (Revised) Assurance Engagements Other Than Audits or Reviews of Historical Financial Information. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted with regard to the auditing-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA today publishes two consultation papers (CP46 and CP47) on guidelines for data collection on bank remuneration practices. Their publication is a further step towards greater disclosure of remuneration information, first proposed in the second amendment to the CRD (CRD III), which came into force on 1 January 2011.

The EBA has submitted its comments on the IFRS Foundation's publicly consulted Report of the Trustees' Strategy Review. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) has prepared on accounting-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has submitted its comments regarding the IAASB's Discussion Paper 'The Evolving Nature of Financial Reporting: Disclosure and Its Audit Implications'. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted with regard to the auditing-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has submitted its comments regarding the IASB's Exposure Draft ED/2011/01 Offsetting Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted with regard to the accounting-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has submitted its comments regarding the Monitoring Board’s Consultative Report on the Review of the IFRS Foundation’s Governance. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted with regard to the accounting-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has submitted its comments on the IAASB's Strategy and Work Programme for 2012-2014. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted with regard to the auditing-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has submitted its comments on the joint supplementary document the IASB and the FASB published for consultation on Impairment. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted to the accounting-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has submitted its comments on the IASB's Exposure Draft ED/2010/13 Hedge Accounting. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted to the accounting-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has submitted its comments on the IFRS Foundation's public consultation paper Status of Trustees’ Strategy Review. The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted to the accounting-related issues can be accessed here.

The Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS) has published today its draft consultation paper on Guidelines on AMA Changes (CP 45) aiming at assisting institutions using the Advanced Measurement Approach (AMA) to further develop their AMA models.

The EBA has submitted its comments on the IAASB's Proposals relating to IAPSs - Withdrawal of existing IAPSs and Clarification of the Status and Authority of New IAPSs; Proposed IAPS 1000, Special Considerations in Auditing Complex Financial Instruments The list of all comment letters the EBA (and its predecessor CEBS) submitted to the auditing-related issues can be accessed here.

The EBA has today submitted its comments on the IASB's Request for Views on Effective Dates and Transition Methods. The list of all comment letters the EBA (or its predecessor CEBS) submitted to the IASB can be accessed here.